Abstract
The current pandemic has disrupted almost every aspect of our lives, and workplace too. We miss interacting with one another face-to-face, find ourselves forced to do it from screen-to-screen and risk gradually losing motivation. The restrictions to meet outdoors with friends and family not only led to the cancellation of exciting events but also heavily impacted the quality of life and mental health of those of us who routinely enjoyed outdoors activities. Moreover, we cannot tell our peers what we did and where we went over the weekend.
In SECAL, we decided to bring motivation to the workplace in the form of a virtual NYR (New Year’s Resolution) 5K Challenge. It sounded crazy at first, but it soon gained acceptance. We invited all society members to record a 5K run or stroll with a GPS tracking device and upload it into a purpose-built web/app. The goal was to create healthy habit competition among peers and institutions and to lift their spirits. The event was to last exactly 1 month, from 6 January to 6 February, and we asked companies to support us by sponsoring the challenge. Each time a participant uploaded their time, they would receive an email with the gold sponsors’ logo. Everyone would benefit from this initiative! (Organiser: SECAL; Sponsors: Matachana, Prolabor, Rettenmaier Iberica, Steris; Gold sponsors: Perkin Elmer, ARP Logística Clínica).
During the first week, the app registered around 30 participants. The number doubled in the second week and, when the challenge was over, nearly 100 contestants had entered their times. More than half were women, but many men took part in the virtual race too. The official ranking included only each participant’s best time to cover a 5 km distance. However, some contestants submitted more than ten times, adding distance for their organisation’s team. Runners and walkers started sharing their experiences with their co-workers, telling peers where they went over the weekend and, naturally, how much ground they had covered. The organisers posted a weekly update to encourage more people to join, and everyone was checking the leaderboard. The event was free, but the winner (fastest runner) would receive recognition and a prize. As all 5K times appeared on the leaderboard, people were competing individually against colleagues, as teams against other institutions and, most importantly, against themselves.
The feedback received has been incredible. Participants are already asking for a second edition next year and more time to record more distances for their organisation. Many said that it has been great to talk about it at the start of the week, and some admit that it has been a booster to engage in the healthy habit of walking or running more often. They just wished the challenge lasted longer. Overall, the experience has been an incredibly positive one. It has brought people together and, above all, it raised individual and team spirits.
5K NYR website: https://proposito5km.secal.es/ |Leaderboard: https://proposito5km.secal.es/clasif.php |
The winning institution, Barcelona CMCiB-IGTP, recorded almost 200 km during the month of the challenge.
With more than 100 km, the second institution was ISOQUIMEN S.L., and the fastest runner (Toni Bermudez, right) holding his prize.