Author: Ryan Hill
Members of DPH’s Ghost Walkers team. From left to right: Tyler Pearce, Mac Kemer, Manal Khan and Linda White. Kerner had the most steps of anyone on the 10-person team.
Jan. 5, 2018 — A team from DHHS’ Division of Public Health placed second in the Tortoise Division in the 16th Miles for Wellness Challenge.
A virtual, team-based walking initiative by and for state employees, Miles for Wellness encourages and supports employees looking to increase their physical activity. The goal is to reach 10,000 steps, or about five miles, most days of the week.
Nearly 550 teams from across the state registered for the challenge in one of four activity levels: Tortoise, Hare, Super Hare and Bionic Hare.
The Tortoise Division is for teams whose members had an activity level of 56,000 steps per week. The DPH Ghost Walkers team took more than 4.4 million total steps, the equivalent of 2,213 miles.
The challenge, “Trail of Thrills,” ran from Sept. 25 to Nov. 19 and took the 4,240 participants on a virtual tour of the United States. Of the teams that registered, 468 reported final step totals. The 86 percent completion rate is a 2 percent increase from the previous challenge.
The next Miles for Wellness Challenge runs from March 12 to May 6. Registration will begin in February.