The 2010 Winter Olympics has inspired a group of Georgian staff members to set off along the Trans Canada Highway on a foot journey to the Games.

Well, the group isn’t actually braving the winter elements to conquer the country, but it has made a fitness commitment to cover the distance. They kept track of their progress with stickers – and a Wonder Woman action figure – on a huge map of Canada.

The External Relations team, composed of communications, marketing, Web and fundraising staff members, recorded the steps and kilometres in an effort to “make it to the Olympic Games” when they open on Feb. 12.

They achieved their goal on Feb. 9, covering a distance of 3,685 kilometres.

The idea to increase the group’s fitness level and awareness of a healthy lifestyle came from a Health and Wellness Committee formed as the result of a day-long retreat for the External Relations team at the Kempenfelt Conference Centre.

“Our work is largely computer and desk-related,” said Elaine Murray, a member of the Health and Wellness Committee. “Plus, we don’t always make the time to fit in a regular exercise routine. This challenge has helped me jump-start my own personal fitness program after falling off the wagon last year.”

At the staff Christmas party last December, about 40 staff members were given pedometers and challenged to count their steps.

Inspired by Canadian athletes, the goal was to virtually walk to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The idea was borrowed from communications specialist Lesley Hain, who, along with her husband Bruce, had already started “walking to the games” from their Stroud home – on a treadmill, outdoors and on the College’s indoor track. The group started at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

“It was great to have the help and support in my walk,” said Hain. “People in other departments of the College have been so excited by the idea of walking across Canada to the Olympics, many of them joined us in our journey.”

There are no prizes, no winners and no losers, she adds, but essentially everyone wins by achieving a higher level of fitness. The participants did it simply for fun and fitness – and to work as a team to achieve a goal. Some walked and some jogged. Some contributed a few kilometres a week, while others have logged upwards of 100 kilometres in a week.

“Any amount is great, because every step counts – it’s a big country,” says Lesley.

She noticed the interest really picking up in the past month, as people became more aware of their co-workers walking, and as they noticed the stickers on the big Canada map multiplying across the Trans Canada Highway. Olympic fever had hit.

Andrea Murray, chair of the Health and Wellness Committee says, “This fitness challenge has been a wonderful way to get into the Olympic Spirit – eh-O Canada go!”

PHOTO: Andrea Murray, Tina Hurst and Lesley Hain take a stroll around the indoor track at the Barrie Campus. The trio is part of a larger External Relations group counting their steps across Canada as part of an Olympics-inspired challenge for employee health and wellness.