First Coast Wins Treadmill Tuesday Challenge!

– More than 3,400 Floridians log 7,449 miles in event to encourage healthier lifestyles –

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Feb. 9, 2016 – The YMCA of Florida’s First Coast is pleased to announce its win in the Treadmill Tuesday Challenge, a competition with the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA. Nearly 1,750 First Coast residents completed 3,813 miles during the 12-hour event, surpassing the Tampa Bay by 177 miles. For the Tampa Bay area, 1,686 residents logged 3,636 miles. Together, the First Coast YMCA and Tampa YMCA leveraged a friendly competition to inspire community members to become more physically active and adopt healthier lifestyles.

“Treadmill Tuesday is another way for us to promote the importance of getting 30 minutes of activity or exercise each day, it’s about building a healthy community,” said Eric Mann, president and CEO of the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast. “This year’s competition with our friends in Tampa made the event even more exciting and it’s been incredible to see these communities come together with a cheerful spirit and determination.”

As part of the friendly wager agreed upon by the two YMCA CEOs prior to the competition, Looby will wear a Jacksonville Jaguars jersey, the jersey of the winning community’s NFL team, this week. Additionally, the Tampa YMCA will send a basket of hometown favorites to the YMCA in the winning community.

“The remarkable turnout of the Treadmill Tuesday Challenge has once again demonstrated the importance of community involvement in improving Florida’s health and well-being,” said Tom Looby, president and CEO of the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA. “While this year’s competition has come to an end, both communities’ Ys remain committed to strengthening the health of our communities.”

In addition to participating at their neighborhood Y, community members were able to join the competition from other locations via social media. Of the 3,435 participants, more than 65 joined by uploading a post-workout photo of treadmill dashboard displaying the total distance, tagging @FirstCoastYMCA or @TampaYMCA, and using #TreadmillTuesday. The total distance and number of participants for the First Coast YMCA, who joined the competition via social media or at a First Coast Y branch, are listed below.

#TreadmillTuesday Tweets