‘Let’s beat those Americans!’
Second edition of Amherst vs. Amherst Walking Challenge underway
The Amhersts are hitting their stride once again.
The Amherst vs. Amherst Walking Challenge is underway, with a new community joining.
The challenge is a competition between different towns named Amherst to see who can walk the furthest accumulative distance through the entire month of February.
This is the second time the challenge has been held with Amherst, N.S., Amherst, New York and Amherst, New Hampshire returning and being joined, for the first time, by Amherst, Massachusetts.
“We just thought it was so much fun that we should do it again,” Allison Watson, Amherst, N.S.’s active living co-ordinator tells Cumberland Wire.
The challenge has become a great way to promote outdoor activity during the doldrums of winter and its boasts all kinds of health benefits.
Watson says it helps not only with fitness and energy levels, but it also assists with mental health, to get out and enjoy the fresh air and release some endorphins.
“Even just breaking up your routine by going for a walk can help your mental health,” she adds. “I always find if I’m in a bad mood, it helps me to go for a walk and then I’m generally in a better mood when I’m done. And when there’s less light outside, it can be hard to get motivated to get outside, but I find a challenge like this really helps.”
Amherst, N.S., has taken a lead in organizing the challenge.
Last year, while planning the winter carnival, the community well-being team looked at things they could do to promote outdoor activity. In the past, they have done walking challenges to different Amhersts.
However, Watson wanted to get more people involved and someone suggested the challenge idea to her. She reached out to all the other Amhersts she could and two responded.
This year, the team did the same thing and received the addition of the Massachusetts town.
“They had seen it last year and were really hoping to be part of it this year,” says Watson. “So, they were really excited to get our invitation.”
Anybody, of any age, can participate and can log kilometres walked either indoors, whether, for example, on a home treadmill or at the gym, or outdoors. Kilometres are logged on a Google form. There’s no way for organizers to monitor how far each individual has walked, so Watson says they rely on the honour system.
“We hope people are honest because we’re not checking everyone’s Fitbit or smartwatches every day,” she says.
The Google form is available on the Amherst vs. Amherst Walking Challenge Facebook event page.
According to Watson, last year about 300 people participated in the challenge in Amherst, N.S.
“We had such a great time last year and we had really good participation from the town,” she says. “Everyone was really enthusiastic and we had really great feedback about how much people enjoyed it and enjoy the challenge.”
The town walked an accumulative distance to walk around the world.
That was good enough to get them second place in the contest, walking about 17,000 km, and finishing behind Amherst, New York’s 20,000 km.
Watson says the town has no set target this year but would like to surpass last year’s number and grab first place.
Watson’s message to her fellow Amherst, N.S. walkers: “Go Amherst, Nova Scotia! Let’s beat those Americans!”