As February begins, so too does the second Frazer-Nash Fitness Challenge – a virtual race around the world to be undertaken by over 200 colleagues across the company’s UK and Australian offices.
Challenge Manager and HR Business Partner, Alex Clare, describes the origin of the event, which first ran in 2021:
“The first Fitness Challenge kicked off in January 2021, borne from the desire to get people moving during the long winter months in the UK, and the global lockdowns which were experienced from Manchester to Melbourne. The majority of our people were working from home, isolated from colleagues, and many were struggling to find motivation to move.
“The first event was a resounding success – people were really driven to go out and get active, and many surpassed their own expectations of what they thought they could achieve. Our teams love to be given a challenge to solve!”
The aim of the challenge is to work as a team to race against each other to a virtual destination, with team members able to log almost any kind of physical activity which is converted into miles. Last year’s challenge saw people logging everything from yoga and tai-chi, to gardening, and even housework, as well as the more traditional running, cycling and walking. The race, which started at Frazer-Nash’s Glasgow office, ended in Sydney in a record two months – thirty days earlier than anticipated.
This year, the five teams will (virtually) race from Table Mountain in South Africa, to Magadan in Eastern Russia. To conquer the 17,000 mile route, teams will log any form of exercise they complete from 1 February until the first group reaches the finish line.
Covering landmarks along the way including Victoria Falls and the Great Pyramid of Giza, Frazer-Nash’s HR team will also report on the leader board each week – recognising the top cyclist, runner, and walker that week, as well as the ‘most improved’ participant.
Alex Clare continued:
“I’m delighted that we’ve been able to bring the Fitness Challenge back for another year. We very much focus on the philosophy of togetherness here, and our ‘one Frazer-Nash’ approach fosters a huge sense of team spirit amongst our people. The Fitness Challenge allows us to meet people we may not cross paths with in our day to day roles, and there’s a sense of friendly competition that we use to keep each other motivated.
"Working as a team means every step counts towards the goal, so it doesn’t matter what you can do, or how much time you have, every little helps. Teammates are there to support and encourage you along the way.
“The race should take 90 days to complete so we’re hoping that our people will feel the benefits to both their physical and mental health by the end of it. But regardless of that, everyone will have fun!”
