While there are plenty of people on this campus that enjoy running many miles on the Plex treadmills, or biking fifty miles on the spin bike, I will openly admit that I’m not one of them. I’d much rather walk to and from Starbucks and do a couple of extra laps around the Res along the way. Whether you fit into the former or latter category, Charity Miles is the perfect app to use for your workout.
Developed in 2012 by Gene Gurkoff, this free iPhone/Android app enables you to earn corporate sponsorship wherever you walk, run, or bike, and then donate that money to your favorite charity. Whether you are walking to Coolidge Corner or sprinting to Fulton to get to class on time, Charity Miles is a great way to make a difference. What better way to motivate Collegiettes to exercise?
Users are given a list of 25 world-changing charities such as Feeding America, Wounded Warrior Project, ASPCA, and Stand Up to Cancer to choose from when beginning their workout. Charity Miles utilizes corporate sponsors to help give 25 cents per mile to walkers and runners, and 10 cents per mile to bikers while tracking your distance using your phone’s GPS device.
“We’re not just a running or fitness app,” says Charity Miles founder, Gene Gurkoff. “We’re a purpose app. Fitness apps are about the map of where you ran. Charity Miles is about the vision for where we’re going.” Gurkoff founded the app after nine years of running marathons in law school to raise money in honor of his grandfather. The trouble was that he struggled with sponsorships. “I always wanted companies to sponsor me,” says Gene. “But they never would because I’m just an amateur. So I figured that if I could get enough people together, then collectively we could attract corporate sponsors.”
Since its launch in June 2012, Charity Miles has grown to over 350,000 members who have walked, run, and biked enough miles to go from earth to the moon and back six times. The app has also won many awards including the SXSW People’s Choice Award and one of Men’s Fitness Ten Game Changers of 2013. Additionally, Women’s Running Magazine named it the Best Overall App of the Year.
The best part is that every mile really does make a big difference, and you can see exactly how much you have contributed. For example, every mile for Feeding America feeds two people, and every mile for GirlUp sends a girl in the developing world to school for a week. So please download Charity Miles to your iPhone or Android today and use it wherever you walk next. Every Mile Matters!
Photo Sources
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