Treadmill Challenge a Big Success!

Most employers are starting to realize that having healthy employees is good for business. With so much of modern office work being of a sedentary nature companies are trying all sorts of things to get their employees up and moving. Without bragging too much I think Pinnacol has been ahead of the curve for years on this one. From on-site fitness classes and wellness center to health screenings and Nurse Health Coaches Pinnacol has been serious about focusing on employee health and wellness for years. One of our recent wellness initiatives was the brainchild of one of our Safety Consultants, Michael, and involved running a Treadmill Challenge where teams of four would compete against each other to see who could log the most distance. Each team member either ran or walked for 15 minutes. Each team had two walkers and two runners, with each broken into an "amateur" and a "professional" division.


The event was a resounding success with 35 teams (140 employees) logging a total of 195 miles with an average of 5.56 miles per team and 1.39 miles per person. Our Executive team were no slouches either and challenged the rest of the company to beat their distances. Teams got creative with their  names with monikers as diverse as "Run Forest Run", "Tread Safely", and "Tread Setters" to "Runnin' On Empty", "Lady Cheetahs", and "Toe Jammers".

The winning team logged 6.64 miles with their combined walk and run. Our two Executive teams? 4.77 and 5.71 miles - respectable, but they have their work cut out for them next year! One of the ladies on the winning team also had the single greatest distance in 15 minutes of 2.1 miles.

Ultimately of course it wasn't really about the greatest distance as everyone who participated can be considered a winner in the ongoing quest for improved and continued health. So congrats to all, and its none too soon to start getting in shape for Treadmill Challenge 2013! And a special Thank You! to Michael for coming up with such a great idea!