Can You Rise to the Challenge?

Stay Inspired All Winter Long with Mizuno and the Columbus Running Company

Inspire Columbus is our winter training challenge. Start your year off by streaking through the month of January, running or walking at least a mile every single day. The catch? No matter what the weather throws at us, your mile only counts if you complete it outdoors. Bundle up and get inspired, it's time to rise to the challenge!

Look, we get it - January is a tough month when it comes to maintaining motivation. This month-long program injects wintry fun into your miles, keeping you running strong as we start the new year right. Still need more motivation? How about prizes? Everyone loves prizes.

The setup is simple. When you register, you're making a commitment to yourself to run or walk at least one mile outdoors every day in January. At the end of the month, if you logged at least one outdoor mile each day, we'll reward you with a $20 CRC gift card. Each week, we'll also be randomly awarding small prizes to some of those whose daily streaks are still going strong. You could win anything from a Mizuno tee to a mug full of hot chocolate.

We'll have three grand prizes too! Successfully streak through the month and you'll be eligible for a grand prize for most mileage, best social media, or our randomly picked streaker. Grand prize winners will earn a Mizuno apparel and shoe prize pack with a CRC gift card. 

So are you ready to take on the season like an abominable snowman on an endless runner's high? Don't let a little thing called winter slow you down.  Join CRC and Mizuno as we keep the inspiration coming throughout January, keeping you on track for those 2024 running and walking goals. 

So how can I run like an Alaskan Husky pulling the winning sled at the Iditarod?

That's a question we've all asked ourselves a hundred times. It's simple. Sign up here. Registration is $15. Once registered, challenge yourself to run or walk outdoors every day in January. If that sounds tough, we're going to be offering incentives to keep you going (full details farther below). Streak for a week or more and you could win prizes from CRC and Mizuno. Complete all 31 days and you'll earn a $20 CRC gift card. 

How do I make Jack Frost my new training partner?

Commit yourself to a goal. It's as simple as that, though we all tend to overcomplicate it. Just layer up, get those miles in, and then grab yourself a hot chocolate while you start planning the next day's outdoor adventure. 

Can we talk about those prizes some more?

Everyone who completes the challenge will earn a $20 CRC gift card. We'll also be awarding Mizuno + CRC raffle prizes each week in January, and you can win by simply logging those outdoor miles. To be eligible for a weekly prize, you have to log at least one outdoor mile each day the previous week. You can log your miles here (and you can find further details below). At the end of the challenge, we'll award a Mizuno + CRC prize pack to the streaker with the most miles for the month, to the streaker with the social media that impacted us the most, and to one randomly drawn streaker.

It's not a race. It's not a coached training program. Inspire Columbus is a challenge. When you register, you're signing up to take that challenge. To show that you can rage like a human blizzard. To prove that you're capable of anything that you put your mind to.  

Still have questions? Here are the fine details: 

1. Register:

When you sign yourself up, you'll be entering the Inspire Columbus Winter Challenge. This will allow you to log your miles online through RunSignUp. Each time you streak through a full week, logging miles each day, we'll put your name into a raffle for prizes from Mizuno and the Columbus Running Company. Miss a day? You're out of the running for raffle prizes. No pressure - but it's time to rise to that daily challenge!

2. Raffle:

To be eligible for the random raffle prizes, you have to log your miles on RunSignUp, the same page where you register for the program. We'll be drawing raffle winners each Monday (January 8, 15, 22, 29). Winners will be contacted via email. 

3. Streaker Prizes:

Everyone who streaks through the entire month will receive a $20 CRC gift card in the mail. Be sure to include a current, valid mailing address when you register. Streaker gift cards go in the mail the first week in February. 

4. Grand Prizes:

On Friday, February 2nd, we'll contact three (3) grand prize winners. These winners will earn a Mizuno prize pack consisting of apparel and shoes plus a CRC gift card. One winner will be our 31 day streaker with the highest total miles. Another winner will be a randomly drawn streaker. The third winner will be the streaker who most moves us on social media. In order to be eligible for the social media prize, be sure to tag @ColumbusRunning on Instagram and/or Facebook. 

5. Outdoors?:

Yes. Runs or walks have to be done outdoors to qualify for prize drawings. Why? Because it isn't a winter run if an icicle isn't growing off your eyelashes. (Now, of course, you can run or walk indoors all you want. Those miles just won't count for the prize raffle or grand prizes.)

6. Where:

Log miles on your own or put in miles with your buddies. It doesn't matter when or where you log these miles, they all count if they're done outdoors.  

7. Logging:

No, we're not chopping down trees like a burly logger (though that is good winter cross training). Yes, we are logging miles online. Chart your mileage on RunSignUp, the same platform where you'll be registering for the challenge. You must have all mileage updated by 8am each Monday morning in January (when we do our drawings) in order to be eligible. In order to win a $20 CRC gift card for streaking through the entire month, you must have logged at least 1 mile each day and have info in the system by 11:59pm on Thursday, February 1st. If you don't chart mileage on RunSignUp, you are not eligible for the prizes. Once you register, you'll receive a confirmation email with further info on how to quickly & easily log those miles. 

8. Best secret ingredient for post-run hot chocolate?:

Drop an Andes Candy chocolate mint into a piping hot mug of hot chocolate. You're welcome. 

9. Gear for the New Year:

As you register for the Inspire Columbus challenge, you can opt to purchase a Mizuno Inspire long sleeve tech top. Like a road race, there are no exchanges, size swaps, or returns on shirts. 

Still reading?

Forget the fine details. Just register here, run or walk outside, and log your miles. This is going to be your best January yet.