This past spring, Bike/Walk Tampa Bay partnered with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Seven to host Sprint for Safety, a virtual 5K challenge. The pilot project invited participants to engage in physical activity and think about safety from a pedestrian’s perspective. More than 200 people joined the challenge during the month of April.

FDOT staff pose with their challenge completion medals. An official awards ceremony for FDOT employees will be held later in July.

Participants had the option of committing to run or walk either one mile or five kilometers (3.1 miles) and could choose when and where they completed the challenge so long as it was accomplished in one single outing sometime during the month of April. More than 160 people completed the challenge, collectively walking or running over 500 miles. Everyone who completed the 5K challenge received a commemorative medal.

“The 5K challenge was a great excuse to get out of the house,” said Zabrina Penton, FDOT Roadway Design Engineer. “It also got me thinking about how pedestrians utilize the environments our teams install––and it was great exercise, too!”