The Secretariat on Stairoids teamThe Secretariat on Stairoids team

Take the Stairs Challenge: And the winners are…

They made it! Take the Stairs challenge participants climbed Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro, Grouse Mountain, reached the top of the CN Tower and more - all within 20 days!

From March 11 to April 8, the Workplace Wellness Committee challenged employees to add more physical activity to their workday by taking the stairs. During the 20-day challenge participating employees completed virtual climbs of well-known buildings and mountains as individuals or in teams.  

Since all participants are considered winners, challenge individuals and teams who submitted tracking sheets were entered into a prize draw.

“I thought this challenge would be fun and since I'm a stair person and do not like to take an elevator I thought it would be a great time to see how many steps I take and where it could take me,” said Individual Winner Claire Villemaire from Leddy Library.

The Secretariat on Stairoids team, consisting of Maria Giampuzzi, Carol Perkes and Renee Wintermute of the University Secretariat found the climb grueling at times but were spurred on by team captain Alison Zilli.

 “Isn’t it amazing that with a little team effort, we were able to accomplish our goal, which at first looked so unobtainable,” says Zilli.  “As the saying goes, one step at a time.”

A total of 20 individual employees submitted completed tracking sheets at the end of the challenge and together climbed and descended a total of 13,239 flights of stairs.

An additional 20 teams also took part, representing a total of 94 individuals who climbed and descended 70,399 flights of stairs. Four of the teams climbed the equivalent of Mount Everest while three individuals climbed the height of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Stay tuned for a summer Workplace Wellness Committee challenge currently in the works.

Click here to learn about the virtual climbs completed by individuals and teams