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Visits reveal impressive commitments
The JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge is unlike any other series of races in the world. This is a series that in 1977 was created to encourage fitness in the work place and camaraderie among company teams. I am always reminded of how well it is meeting those goals when I have the opportunity to attend races or visit with teams in their corporate offices. In late May, I had the great pleasure of being at the event in Rochester, one of several races that this year attracted more participants than ever. More recently, I visited companies in Syracuse and in San Francisco, whose race is held in September in a beautiful setting bordering the Golden Gate Bridge. What sets this Series apart are the people who take part and the reasons they do. I was reminded of that again in my most recent meetings. I meet all kinds of runners, joggers, and walkers on visits like these, also people who are not into exercise at all. Many have not taken part in the corporate challenge earlier - or in any other races, for that matter - but after hearing that this is a race that embraces everybody, not only the super fit, they make a commitment to take part. The support these first-time participants receive from their coworkers when they make this commitment is remarkable. My visits showed me once again how strong team spirit is and what a critical role it plays in the Series. Some of the companies I visited had very good facilities for exercise, and I was impressed by the numbers of employees who took advantage of this opportunity to work out before work, during work, or after work. Fitness at the workplace is what the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge is all about and a couple of the companies had running groups organized to get people ready for the race. I often talk to very competitive runners and that is different than talking to participants in the Corporate Challenge. The serious runners ask about mileage, pace, type of workouts, fartlek, tempo runs, interval training etc. - words that are more or less foreign to many of the corporate runners. I enjoy talking to both groups, but I have to admit that it is very rewarding to hear that the Corporate Challenge is what got many started. At one company I visited on my tour I talked to a young employee who was now in training for a half marathon after completing the Corporate Challenge for the first time last year. He had lost many pounds, felt better and had improved his quality of life. World-class athletes can be an inspiration, but it is those of you who choose to undertake an exercise program I most admire. That is because you have been inspired to make an often radical change, and many times that is not easy to do. The questions I get from novice runners are not about what types of workouts to do to get better, but more about what is a good diet, when and how to stretch, how I got started and what inspired me to start running. How many times a week they should exercise, is morning better than evening etc. I take great pleasure in giving basic advice like that. What I may take for granted is news to beginners. When I am visiting a company I always like to spend some time with the company captain and hear how he or she works to get more people involved and be a part of the company team. Some of them are very creative and see it as a challenge to get as many people as possible to wear the company T-shirt on race night. Others need some input on what they can do get the more inactive employees at their company to be a part of the team. I happily share my experiences and tell them what I know other team captains do. The team captain can be a runner himself or herself but many times I meet a team captain who is just a fantastic ”cheerleader” and motivator and get people to make a few changes in their life and start some exercising. They have special prices for those who sign up early, they start a 100-mile club and reward those who have walked or jogged 100 miles within a certain date. There are no limits to creativity. This year, the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge has enjoyed record attendance at many events, sold-out fields in others, and large turnouts at each of its events. The numbers are very impressive. Even more impressive, however, are the stories and the commitments behind the numbers. |
