Miles for Wellness Challenge 30

My agency/department doesn’t have a team. Can I still participate?

Yes. Review the list of teams accepting additional members here and contact any captain to request to join their team. 

My team doesn’t have 10 members. Can we still participate?

Yes, you may compete with less than 10 members. Team captains also have the option to recruit other state employees/retirees to fill out their 10-person roster. Just check "yes” on your team registration form and your team will be added to the list of available teams interested in taking additional participants.

Can a team have more than 10 members?

No. If you have more than 10 participants you must start another team with a different team name, or additional members may join another team. If you create a second team, it will need to be registered separately. During registration for the second team, you can check the box that allows you to accept participants from other locations, if additional team members are needed or desired.

Can two or more teams have the same name?

No. If teams register under the same name, the captain's last name will be added to the team name.

Can I be a team captain but not a participant on that team?

Yes. Although most team captains are participants, it is not a requirement. This would allow a person to captain more than one team if desired.

Can team members work in different agencies/departments?

Yes. Miles for Wellness is a statewide program. Employees of different agencies or different locations/cities are eligible and welcome to be on a team together.

When are walking divisions determined?

Walking divisions are determined throughout the challenge. This allows teams to compete only against like-performing teams throughout the challenge. This means a team's division may change throughout the challenge based upon their weekly step averages.

How are the divisions determined?

Walking divisions are determined by the number of steps (and other physical activity) per team throughout the challenge. This allows teams to compete only against like-performing teams throughout the challenge. A team's division may change based upon their weekly step averages.

• Tortoise – Average of up to 56,000 steps per week, per member
• Hare – Average of between 56,001 – 70,000 steps per week, per member
• Super Hare - Average of between 70,001 – 105,000 steps per week, per member
• Bionic Hare – Average of 105,001 and up steps per week, per member

If my team is smaller, how are divisions calculated in order to keep it fair?

The average number of steps per team member per week is used in that determination. That way teams of the same level are matched together to enhance fairness.

What do teams get for winning their divisions?

Teams are awarded a trophy, while participants earn a certificate of accomplishment. Teams are also recognized on the OSHR Miles for Wellness website with the team name, ranking and a summary of the team's steps. The high stepper on each team also receives a special certificate.

Can retirees participate?

Yes, retirees can be on a team of current state employees.

Can temporary/contract employees participate?

Yes, they are allowed to participate.

Can family members participate?

Family members cannot be on a team unless they are employees, retirees or temporary/contract employees of state government.

How do I enter information in the Captain's Spreadsheet?

Go to the Team Roster tab on the Captain's Spreadsheet to enter your team information. The information will autofill onto the Captain's Tracking tab. Captains should enter only the step totals of their team members directly on the Captain's Tracking tab. 

Can I make changes to my team roster?

Yes. You can make changes to your roster through week 2 of the Challenge. Changes only need to be made on the Team Roster tab on your Captain's Spreadsheet. After week 2, substitutions and additions should not be made.

Will I get an email response when I register my team?

As long as you check the box asking to receive a confirmation email and enter a valid email address, you will receive a response.

Are team members required to wear fitness trackers?

No. Fitness trackers are not required, but they are helpful in tracking daily activity step totals. If you walk/run a known distance, those steps will not require a tracker (i.e., 2,000 steps = 1 mile). If you want to purchase a fitness tracker, there are many options available for most budgets, such as phone apps and pedometers. Using the conversion function on the Activity Log for walking is an option also.

What if I forget my fitness tracker or the battery runs down?

It's OK to use the step count of one of your other days that had a similar level of activity.