UNMC walks to the Olympics! — OPENING CEREMONY TIME CHANGED

In honor of the Summer Olympic Games in London, a campus walking challenge will take place at UNMC in the coming months to get employees up and about.

From April 27 (Friday) through July 27 – the first day of the London Olympic Games — employees will participate in the “UNMC walks to the Olympics” challenge.

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The opening ceremonies for the UNMC walks to the Olympics challenge are Friday at noon in the Ruth and Bill Scott Student Plaza.

How it works

Employees will form teams and combine efforts to cover 4,300 miles — the distance between Omaha and London.

At an average of 2,000 steps per mile, the distance between Omaha and London is about 8.6 million steps.

In the 90-day period of the challenge, each member of a team of 10 would have to walk an average of 9,600 steps per day to get to London.

If that seems a bit much, keep this in mind — many wellness experts claim the average person should walk 10,000 steps per day to maintain good health.

Team size

Teams are limited to 20 participants. Download a team registration form or call the Center for Healthy Living front desk at 402-559-5254 to have one emailed, faxed or routed to you through inter-campus mail. Send completed forms to cfhladmin@unmc.edu or the Center for Healthy Living, ZIP 5530.

You can register a team at any point in the challenge.

Important dates and pedometer information

The challenge kicks off at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, April 27 with “Opening Ceremonies” in the Sorrell Center Student Plaza.

At the ceremony, pedometers can be purchased for $10. The Accupsplit CW 140-XLTM pedometers are valued at $35 but the health promotion department will cost share to provide employees a lower rate. Employees can only purchase two pedometers each.

“Closing Ceremonies” will be held on Friday, July 27 at 11:30 a.m. in the Student Plaza. At the ceremony:

  • Gold medals will be distributed to the team that completes the challenge first;
  • Silver medals will go to the second team; and
  • Bronze medals will be given to all other teams that complete the challenge.

Want to buy a pedometer but can’t make the ceremony?

Starting Friday, pedometers and log books can be purchased at the Center for Healthy Living front desk. Call 402-559-5254 for more information.