At walking speed between Zittau and Görlitz

The nearly 60 participants in the 2022 Pedometer Challenge logged 21,047,474 steps. A remarkable achievement. The question was: How many times could we all collectively cover the distance between Zittau and Görlitz within a month? Philipp Knebel and Ulrike Bobek pulled out their calculators and figured out that it would take 391 round trips from Zittau to Görlitz on foot—and since the bike challenge was still going on, that distance was added another 96 times.

The impressive result: 487 trips were completed. A nice side effect: a little more attention was paid to physical activity in the daily office routine than usual.

The step counter challenge has traditionally taken place since 2016 as part of the Health and Environment Days (GUt). It was initiated to bring a little more physical activity into everyday office life through a playful challenge between the Zittau city administration and the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. In 2020, the city of Görlitz joined the challenge via a special “University Executive Board vs. Mayor” category, and a cycling challenge was added. The step challenge initially lasted 5 days. However, at times during that week, participants walked so much that some experienced calf cramps. “That’s not healthy either, ” says Philipp Knebel from University Sports. “If you increase your daily step count from 6,000 to 30,000 overnight, it’s not good for your feet, your back, or your cardiovascular system.” To allow time for a gradual increase, this year’s challenge was extended to a full month. From June 1 through 30, participants walked and cycled diligently.

Using an app kindly provided by BARMER, the steps of each participant were counted, and there was the usual team battle: Zittau City Administration vs. Görlitz City Administration vs. Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. The Zittau City Administration won the battle and once again claimed the popular “Foot” trophy, which has been passed around as a traveling trophy since 2016.

The cycling challenge also went to a member of the Zittau City Administration—Winfried Bruns took the lead with 1,072.5 kilometers cycled and received the challenge trophy. The only student participant placed fourth and was delighted to receive a prize. The prizes were once again raffled off among all participants. “That way, everyone has a chance to win a prize,” says Ulrike Bobek, who believes that the motto ‘it’s the taking part that counts’ is what matters.

The Health and Environment Days will take place again next year and the challenges will also be back. Whether they will last a week or a month  ? "We don't know yet. A poll at the award ceremony revealed a tie between the two options. It's not easy to find a solution that suits everyone involved," says Ulrike. The most important thing is to have fun.