Tag: Event Recap

Beat the Bay State Final Results

Beat the Bay State Final Results

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 Thank you to all the participants in our first ever “Beat the Bay State” Team Challenge during the month of November. Over 450 people took part across 31 teams! The challenge was a way for people of all ages to participate in outdoor physical activity of walking and running over the 30 days of the competition. It also made it possible for teams to stay socially connected and have something fun and different to talk about when confronted with another Zoom meeting! We’d love your feedback: how’d it go, and what can we do to make it even better next year? Shoot Brendan an email or tweet us @WalkBoston.

Congrats and thank you to everyone who participated. Below we’ve highlighted those teams that had the most participants, raised the most money, and finished the Beat the Bay State Challenge first!

DISTANCE: First to the Finish

The first three teams to finish 900 miles and “Beat the Bay State”:

  1. GFRC Growlers
  2. North Medford Club 
  3. Wicked Running Club

A total of 18 teams achieved the goal to reach 900 miles over the 30 days of November. Well done! 

Date of CompletionGroup Name
2020-11-06 20:04:03 ESTGFRC Growlers
2020-11-07 08:46:03 ESTNorth Medford Club
2020-11-08 19:22:02 ESTWicked Running Club
2020-11-10 10:05:02 ESTTeam RBG (Run, Beer, Grub)
2020-11-10 21:35:03 ESTThe LMG
2020-11-19 08:09:02 ESTMassDOT
2020-11-22 07:45:03 ESTTransportation for Massachusetts
2020-11-22 20:36:02 ESTMPA-CPEA
2020-11-22 22:50:02 ESTBarrRamblers
2020-11-23 08:18:02 ESTRandom Roamers
2020-11-23 21:28:03 ESTWalkBoston
2020-11-24 10:29:03 ESTUMass Transportation Center
2020-11-25 06:45:02 ESTUMass ITE
2020-11-29 15:30:05 ESTToilet Paper Finish
2020-11-29 16:10:04 ESTToole Design
2020-11-29 22:49:04 ESTHRBK Squad
2020-12-01 08:02:28 ESTThe Gait Keepers
2020-12-01 09:19:03 ESTHMFH / MDS

*Teams were able to log their miles on Dec 1st until 12pm for any activities completed during November

DISTANCE: Most Miles

While the Beat the Bay State goal was to log 900 miles to virtually circle Massachusetts, that wasn’t the finish line for a few teams: it was just the beginning! Congratulations to these four teams that went above and beyond to “Beat the Bay State” more than once during the month of November:

  1. North Medford Club – 5,252.97 miles (#BeatTheBayState almost x6!)
  2. GFRC Growlers – 4,666.25 miles (#BeatTheBayState x5)
  3. Wicked Running Club – 3,591.77 miles (Just 9 miles short of #BeatTheBayState x4)
  4. Team RBG (Run, Beer, Grub) – 2,092.05 miles (#BeatTheBayState x2)

See the full team results list | See the full individual results list

PARTICIPANTS: Biggest Team

Boston Beer Company will be providing cases of beer to the 3 largest teams as a prize. We’ll be in touch with your team captain to coordinate a pick-up / drop-off!

  1. GFRC Growlers – 47 team members
  2. North Medford Club – 42 team members
  3. Wicked Running Club – 32 team members

See the full team size list

FUNDRAISING: Top Team and Individual Fundraisers

Between registration fees, swag purchases, sponsorships, and donations, the event raised $25K. This money supports WalkBoston’s work to advocate for wider sidewalks, support main street businesses and make streets safer for all — all components of our statewide work to make Massachusetts more walkable. Thank you!

Top Team fundraisers

  1. Team WalkBoston – $799
  2. Ebbs/Beuttell Family and Friends Step It Up – $790
  3. Team HMFH / MDS – $540

Top Individual fundraisers

  1. Ken Krause – $300
  2. Kyle Robidoux – $230

See the full team fundraiser list | See the full individual fundraiser list

Again, we’d love your feedback: how’d it go, and what can we do to make it even better next year? Shoot Brendan an email or tweet us @WalkBoston

WalkBoston and partners host Chelsea Walk: Eastern Ave to Broadway!

WalkBoston and partners host Chelsea Walk: Eastern Ave to Broadway!

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On May 2nd, WalkBoston and community partners hosted a free walk in Chelsea to highlight local walkability, transit and development projects and opportunities, while also emphasizing the need to maintain affordability and prevent displacement. Thanks so much to the 50+ people who attended, especially our speakers and co-hosts: GreenRoots, The Neighborhood Developers, TransitMatters, Transportation for Massachusetts, the City of Chelsea, and LOCUS Massachusetts. See photos on Facebook.

The walk began after a group of WalkBoston staff, partners and supporters rode the new MBTA Silver Line (SL3) from South Station to Chelsea to meet another group of walkers at the new Eastern Ave Station. As we walked along the new multi-use Chelsea Greenway and down Broadway, we heard from a number of speakers who highlighted the need to think holistically about community development and transportation.

Maria Belen Power of GreenRoots spoke powerfully about the imperative for transit justice and equitable fares in low-income communities of color like Chelsea. Marc Ebuña of TransitMatters described the history of the SL3 project and the need for better bus service across metro Boston. Aaron Wasserman of The Neighborhood Developers and Elijah Plymesser of LOCUS Massachusetts highlighted the Box District as an example of affordable housing and transit-oriented development that can advance a broader smart growth agenda. Alex Train from the City of Chelsea described his work to advance Complete Streets that work for all road users. Finally, youth from GreenRoots’ ECO Teens program highlighted the potential to transform the underutilized Chelsea Walk into a community destination (support their crowdfunding campaign here!).

The spirited conversations that began on the walk continued over food and drinks at Tijuana Restaurant on Broadway. Special thanks to LOCUS Massachusetts for sponsoring the appetizers! 

Moving forward, WalkBoston will build off our past work in Chelsea and stay engaged in the community. Having conducted walk audits in the Sector 4 and Park Square neighborhoods in 2017, we now look forward to improving pedestrian safety on Marginal Street as Chelsea develops its broader Harbor Plan. We will also continue to support the city’s Re-imagining Broadway project, as well as other forthcoming Complete Streets initiatives. You can stay in the loop about WalkBoston’s work in Chelsea here.