RUNNERS NEEDED FOR 21 MILLION STEPS MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGE

Photo: Jay Golian

inov-8 and COROS Wearables have teamed up to help people reap the rewards that running and exercise bring to mental health.

The two sports brands have launched their Step Up & Play Your Part Challenge in a bid to amass 21 million steps of responsible exercise before the end of January 2021.

To do this they are calling on runners, walkers and all sportspeople to log their daily number of steps on the inov-8 website here.

And while both brands are promoting exercise to help people with their mental health during these hugely challenging times of the Covid pandemic, they are also stressing that all exercise must be carried out responsibly and within government guidelines that apply locally.

The challenge is open to everyone worldwide, with inov-8 and COROS offering daily prizes that include award-winning running, hiking & fitness kit and GPS watches.

Michael Price, inov-8 COO, said: “In June last year we digitally brought together a team of more than 1,000 runners globally to complete a 25,000-mile virtual lap of the world within a week.

“The inov-8 World Run was a huge success and proved to be integral in our Play Your Part campaign, set-up at the start of the pandemic to support, motivate and inspire people through these difficult times.

“Now we’re stepping things up a level and looking for people to join us in amassing 21 million steps of responsible exercise, and in doing so improve their mental health at a time when things are incredibly tough for us all.”

Ben Clark, COROS Northern Europe Market Manager, added: “I’m grateful that we were able to partner with inov-8 to bring this fantastic challenge to the world.

“Earlier in the year, COROS also partnered with JoggingBuddy, RedJanuary and our charity partner Sport In Mind to promote exercise as a means to support and motivate both the mental and physical wellbeing of people worldwide.

“Together with our wider partners, we believe that the challenge will be the beginning of a very active and successful year for everyone involved!”

Watches, mobile phones and pedometers can be used to count steps. Get all the details about the Step Up & Play Your Part Challenge and how to log steps here: www.inov-8.com/step-up-play-your-part-2021

Use the hashtags #inov8StepUp and #CorosStepUp on social media to show how you are contributing to the challenge.