Turn Miles to Conservation Dollars with "Make it Count" At ORSM

Posted: 06/26/2009 In Category: Outdoor Trade Shows / Events

Written By: Drew Simmons

ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA (For Immediate Release)- Ahnu Footwear, Plus 3 Network & The Conservation Alliance are rewarding ORSM journeys with a chance to win a Specialized mountain bike and up to $2500 for the Conservation Alliance.

Each summer, more than 100,000 miles are walked in and around the Salt Palace Convention Center by Outdoor Retailer Summer Market attendees. At this summer’s show, for the first time, those miles are going to count for more than blisters, band-aids and bragging rights.

Ahnu Footwear, Plus 3 Network and The Conservation Alliance are joining forces in the first-ever “Make it Count Challenge,” a unique competition which will measure and reward human-powered journeys in and around the Salt Palace Convention Center.

Challenge participants will track and verify their miles using the innovative Plus 3 Network (www.plus3network.com), a web community that combines two great OR traditions: outdoor exercise and outdoor charity fundraising.

For every registered participant in the ‘Make it Count Challenge, Ahnu Footwear will donate $5 to The Conservation Alliance. And on behalf of the individuals who rack up the most miles in the “Make it Count Challenge,” Ahnu will donate $2,000 in their names to The Conservation Alliance ($500 for the day one leader, $500 for the day two leader, and $1,000 for the overall winner).
The grand prize mileage earner also will receive a Specialized Rockhopper Expert Disc mountain bike, compliments of Belmont, California’s Passion Trail Bikes (www.passiontrailbikes.com). The pro-built bike will be shipped to their home address, anywhere in the lower 48.

Additional prizes will be awarded to daily leaders as well as participants spotted in the aisles of the Salt Palace – identified by their “Make It Count” race bibs. Updates, daily competition leaderboards, and additional prize opportunities will be posted at www.twitter.com/MakeItCount2009

“The spirit of the Plus 3 Network is perfectly suited to Outdoor Retailer. We hope that a little friendly competition can make those long journeys across the Salt Palace Convention Center more enjoyable,” said Jim Van Dine, president of Ahnu Footwear. The giving goes on well past the show too, through Ahnu’s ongoing sponsorship of The Conservation Alliance at the Plus 3 Network, where members’ activities are measured daily and produce ongoing donations.

The winner will be announced during the grand prize ceremony at the Ahnu booth (29167w) at 3 pm on Day Three, July 22. To enter the “Make It Count Challenge,” OR attendees may register at the Ahnu Footwear booth beginning at 9 am on Tuesday, July 20. Plus 3 will loan the first 20 on-site registrants a Garmin Forerunner 305 to automatically track their journey. Participants may also use their own Garmin Edge or Forerunner GPS unit or a GPS-enabled phone to verify their daily miles, and Plus 3 will be on hand to demonstrate the ease of GPS data updating. For those without GPS capability, 100 registrants will be provided with an official “Make It Count” pedometer to track their journey.

Show attendees may also register in advance, via their own computer, by registering for free at www.plus3network.com and joining the “Ahnu OR Challenge Group”.

To be eligible for daily leader awards, participants must log in and enter their miles at the end of each day.

The Challenge officially begins at 9 am on day one of Outdoor Retailer (Tuesday, July 21, 2009), and concludes at noon on day three (Thursday, July 23, 2009).

ABOUT PLUS 3 NETWORK: Launched last fall, the Plus 3 Network is a free web site that encourages outdoor activity and outdoor involvement by enabling members to log their daily Activities and via corporate sponsorship, turn every Activity into a fund raiser, while at the same time build training calendars, set personal goals, share training routes, and partner with friends across the street or across the country. All members choose from a list of Sponsors and Causes, earning a donation for every mile logged. At any time during the year, Plus 3 Network members who select Ahnu Footwear as their “Sponsor” will help support the Conservation Alliance (www.conservationalliance.com), an outdoor industry coalition devoted to protecting and conserving threatened wild places for their habitat and recreation values.

ABOUT AHNU FOOTWEAR: Ahnu is an outdoor lifestyle footwear brand built for uncompromising performance in all environments, including trail running, outdoor cross-performance, and travel. Ahnu utilizes a unique design approach centered around balance, easy on/off adjustability, QuiteLight® construction, and a commitment to the highest possible environmental and social standards. Founded with broad goals of environmental and social responsibility, Ahnu has been a member of the Conservation Alliance since the company’s creation in 2007. A dedicated portion of Ahnu Footwear ownership is held in an outdoor trust, directly pairing the success of the company with future support of outdoor and environmental causework.

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