Bridges Around the World starts on May 2

Get ready for your next team challenge!

Bridges Around the World starts on Monday, May 2.

Few human-made structures can inspire us quite like bridges. Their function is often matched by their striking beauty. They connect, unite and bring us closer together. In this challenge, as you build up your step count, you’ll visit some of the world’s best-loved bridges. Some rank among the longest or tallest (we hope you’re not afraid of heights). So get ready … you’re on your way!

What is it?

The Bridges Around the World Challenge is a simple, friendly competition that you can take on as a team (limited to 10 team members) and track your steps over the course of 8 weeks. Need a pedometer or want to track other activities? Keep reading – we’ve got you covered.

Remember, you can use the Virgin Pulse mobile app to join a challenge, chat with others and monitor your progress!

Get Moving, See the World. During this challenge, we’ll visit 15 bridges around the world:

• The Brooklyn Bridge (New York, NY, USA)
• Old North Bridge (Concord, MA, USA)
• Tower Bridge (London, England)
• Great Belt Bridge (Zealand-Funen, Denmark)
• Millau Viaduct (Millau, France)
• Ponte Vecchio Bridge (Florence, Italy)
• Rialto Bridge (Venice, Italy)
• Charles Bridge (Prague, Czech Republic)
• Stari Most (Mostar, Bosnia)
• Seri Wawasan Bridge (Putrajaya, Malaysia)
• Danyang Kunshan Grand Bridge (Jiangsu Province, China)
• Sidu River Bridge (Hubei Province, China)
• Pearl Bridge (Kobe-Naruto, Japan)
• Sydney Harbor Bridge (Sydney, Australia)
• The Golden Gate (San Francisco, CA, USA)

Challenge Rules

This is your chance to team up with colleagues to get active and start a little healthy competition. Here’s how: Go to the team challenge page to join a team, start a team, or get others to join. Track your steps manually online, via app, Alexa skill, or sync your fitness tracker.

The challenge is FREE and open to every employee of The Arc of Washington County at any fitness level. You don’t need to be enrolled with Aetna to participate!

Dates

• Challenge Registration Opens: April 18, 2022
• Challenge Starts: May 2, 2022
• Challenge Ends: June 26, 2022
• The last day to upload your steps is June 28. Tracking daily is more fun!
• To be in the prize drawings you must record steps at least weekly.

To Get Started

• Go to the team challenge page on Aetna Virgin Pulse! (If you don’t already have an account, visit tinyurl.com/ArcWCjoin or check out our Aetna Virgin Pulse page to find out more.)
• Join a team (they’ll be happy to have you)
• Or make your own team (lead the way, Captain)
• Make sure your activity tracker is connected to get credit for all your hard-earned steps
• If you don’t have a connected activity tracker, you can enter your steps manually online at Aetna Virgin Pulse or by using the mobile app.

Teams

• Teams can have up to 10 participants.
• You can join an existing team or create a new team. It’s up to you!
• Either way, try to have a full team of 10 to maximize your score.

Scores

• Team scores are based on total team steps.
• The more steps your team gets, the better your score.
• To contribute to your team score, upload steps from a fitness tracker or manually enter steps online or through the Virgin Pulse app.
• Track your steps daily to get your team closer to the goal. Track other activities and convert them into steps – it’s easy!
• You can get credit for up to 30,000 steps a day (so aim high)!
• The team with the most steps at the end of the challenge wins. What do you win? Bragging rights! But, wait! There are prizes! Keep reading.

Good to Know

• If you leave a team after the challenge start date, you can’t rejoin the challenge.
• If you join a team after the challenge start date, some of your steps may not count. (Skip the heartache — join before the challenge starts.)
• Participant names and step counts may be shared with other challenge participants and administrators.

Tracking

Need a pedometer? Join a team and participate in the challenge. If you need a pedometer, your team captain can provide you with a digital pedometer for FREE! You’ll need to log steps or activities for at least the first five days of the challenge to eligible for the pedometer. Use this activity to steps conversion chart (PDF) to help you track steps without a pedometer. You can also track other activities such as biking, swimming, housework, or mowing the lawn.

Prizes

Win prizes and earn online badges to brag about your accomplishments!

Participation Prize

Everyone who signs up and participates will receive a globe notepad, while supplies last.  Request your participation prize through your team captain.

Individual Prizes

Some may run and rack up many steps while others are just starting out. All we ask is that you track your steps at least every week. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the challenge via random drawing—and prize winners must participate for all eight weeks of the challenge in order to receive a prize. Prizes include:

• Greater Goods Nutrition Food Scale
• Handweights with Rack
• Parks & Rec gift card with yoga mat
• Harper’s Ferry RAFTING TRIP for FOUR with River & Trail Outfitters!

Goal Getter Prize

Achieve and track the suggested 7,000 steps a day. Prize will be awarded by random drawing at the end of the challenge — and the prize winner must have participated for all eight weeks of the challenge:

• Annual National Parks Pass

Go for Bold to double your chances of winning!

Participate in all eight weeks of the challenge AND join Healthy Washington County’s Go for Bold initiative at healthywashingtoncounty.com/goforbold. and you will receive a second entry in the individual prize drawings!

Team Prizes

Every team reaching the final destination will be entered into a team prize drawing at the conclusion of  the challenge. The team prizes for eligible team members are:

• Instant Read Food Thermometer
• Set of 3 Resistance Bands
• $10 in Arc Bucks

Only employees of The Arc of Washington County are eligible for prizes. Because of changing availability of some items, we may need to provide substitute prizes. If we do, we’ll do our best to find prizes of similar quality and value.