A contest to get employees of Bethesda-based companies out of their cars and using other forms of transportation will return this September with a chance to win gift cards to local stores and restaurants.
The Walk & Ride Challenge, sponsored and organized by the Bethesda Urban Partnership, fits employees of participating businesses with a pedometer to track how many steps they take each day. The contest this year will run from Sept. 8 to Sept. 28. Results are entered into an online log and can include trips from the Metro to the office, to a nearby restaurant or to a bus stop on the commute home.
Participants who record more than 50,000 steps in a week will be entered into a drawing to win a Kindle. Those who log 25,000 steps in a week will be up for gift cards, gear from the Bethesda Urban Partnership and other prizes. The winning company will also receive team prizes.
About 300 Bethesda-based employees participate in the event each year. The concept has spread to North Bethesda, Silver Spring, Friendship Heights and Shady Grove in the Gaithersburg area.
Bethesda Transportation Solutions, a division of BUP, is trying to increase the amount of Bethesda commuters who use transportation modes other than single-occupancy vehicles. County surveys consistently put the percentage of Bethesda commuters carpooling or using other transportation options around 36 percent.
Registration for the event is open today, with early bird rates until the end of the month. For more information, or to register, visit the website.
