Hosting the Walkathon

Each member of the team will wear a pedometer for the duration of the Walkathon to measure the number of steps they have taken. Participants will need to take note of their pedometer reading at the end of every day and record how many steps they did on a log sheet (RTF 32 KB). At the end of each week (or other nominated time, depending on the distance of the walkathon, this may be daily) each person should report their number of steps to one person in the team (team coordinator) who will then pass on the total number of steps for their team to an event organiser. This nominated person will track all of the teams on the tracker poster (RTF 14 KB). Participants will need to be reminded to reset their pedometers every morning.

The poster can be a map drawn to scale of the pre-determined distance the teams have to travel. Markers can then be used for each team to show how they have travelled based on their pedometer readings. There are approximately 2000 steps to the kilometre. This poster should be displayed in a common area where everyone can view it, such as a lounge area or kitchen. This can also serve as a visual reminder to make healthy food choices during the day.

Teams’ progress should continue to be tracked until the completion of the walkathon, where the team who reached the destination first, or is closest to the destination is deemed the winner. The winner should be formally announced at the celebration event. You may also like to have other prizes for teams such as ‘best team name’, ‘most enthusiastic team’ etc.