The Fitness Inclusion Network at SUNY Upstate's Golisano Center for Special Needs and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor today announced the launch of a Virtual 1st Mile Challenge (www.canalwaychallenge.org/virtual) for people with mobility challenges in the greater Syracuse area. The program offers a series of 15 Peloton-style adaptive cycling videos filmed on the Erie Canalway Trail and Onondaga Creekwalk in Onondaga County. The goal is to promote awareness of the Erie Canalway Trail as a resource for adaptive cycling.

“The videos are part of a home exercise program for people who use wheelchairs that we created with and for our patients,” explains Dr. Nienke Dosa, Medical Director at SUNY Upstate’s Spina Bifida Center. “The videos can also help people who may be unaware or unsure about cycling along the canal to check it out ahead of time.”

Each video features a one-mile segment of trail, giving participants the opportunity to complete one mile or to achieve a 15-mile goal by completing each of the 15 video segments. Participants are encouraged to track their miles for the Canalway Challenge, which provides incentives and rewards when mileage targets are achieved.

“We are thrilled to work with Upstate Medical University’s Fitness Inclusion Network to expand the Canalway Challenge by adding an exciting virtual option for people with special needs, mobility challenges, or going through rehab. The challenge is designed to help people stay motivated and build more active lifestyles, starting with just one mile. The program is an important part of ensuring that recreational experiences along the canal are welcoming, sought after, and accessible to people of all abilities,” said Bob Radliff, Executive Director of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.

“The City of Syracuse welcomes and encourages people of all abilities, residents and visitors alike, to enjoy the Canalway Trail as it makes its way through Syracuse, including along newly completed sections of the Empire State Trail and our Onondaga Creekwalk,” said City of Syracuse Parks Commissioner Julie LaFave.

Participants will be encouraged to move from indoors to the trail itself in the summer months, a major milestone for continuing fitness and experiencing the outdoors along the canal. The Erie Canalway Trail is accessible for all types of activities, including walking, wheeled mobility (wheelchairs), and cycling. The trail meets Americans with Disabilities (ADA) standards.

“Our goal is to open more opportunities for people with disabilities to discover the trail,” said Peyton Sefick, Inclusive Recreation Specialist, Golisano Center for Special Needs, and Project Coordinator at the Fitness Inclusion Network.

The Virtual Mile challenge is the latest in a series of inclusive health promotion partnerships of the Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor and the Fitness Inclusion Network (FIT-in), including an annual adaptive cycling fair, TRAID on the Trails, and a 3-day inclusive tourism itinerary for Central New York. The Fitness Inclusion Network has also advocated for the installation of power wheelchair charging stations along the Onondaga Creekwalk section of the trail.

The Fitness Inclusion Network will promote the Virtual First Mile challenge via social media throughout the month of February with the help of public health students at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Other promotional partners include the Onondaga County Health Department and Syracuse’s Department of Parks and Recreation.

For more information, visit: www.canalwaychallenge.org/virtual

Caption: The Virtual 1st Mile Challenge is designed for people with mobility challenges and features 15 Peloton-style videos filmed on the Erie Canalway Trail and Onondaga Creekwalk in Onondaga County. Each video features a one-mile trail segment, giving participants the opportunity to complete one mile or to achieve a 15-mile goal by completing each of the 15 video segments.

ABOUT THE FITNESS INCLUSION NETWORK 
The Fitness Inclusion Network is a grassroots, cross-institutional collaboration in Central New York that is committed to expanding access and furthering conversations on inclusion in outdoor recreation, team sports, mindful movement, and personal fitness for people of all ability levels. Fit-IN was launched in 2013 with support from the Upstate Foundation/Golisano Children’s Hospital, the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, and SUNY Cortland Department of Adapted Physical Education.  

ABOUT THE ERIE CANALWAY NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor preserves New York’s extraordinary canal heritage, promotes the Corridor as a world-class tourism destination, and fosters vibrant communities connected by more than 500 miles of waterway. It achieves its mission in partnership with the National Park Service, New York State agencies, non-profit organizations, local residents, and more than 200 communities across the full expanse of upstate New York.

The Canalway Challenge is open to people of all fitness levels and offers a range of mileage options, including 1 mile for people with mobility challenges, 15 miles, 90 miles, 180 miles, and 360 miles. www.canalwaychallenge.org

 

Caption: The Virtual 1st Mile Challenge is designed for people with mobility challenges and features 15 Peloton-style videos filmed on the Erie Canalway Trail and Onondaga Creekwalk in Onondaga County. Each video features a one-mile trail segment, giving participants the opportunity to complete one mile or to achieve a 15-mile goal by completing each of the 15 video segments.