Weekend Commentary
And so ends the most competitive, inclusive and enjoyable Virtual Challenge the country has yet seen. The stamina, endurance, humour and camaraderie has been incredible and all participants have done themselves, their families, their teams and of course their firm proud. Thank you all very much for your tremendous contribution.
The winning team by a margin of 124 miles is the aptly named “Team 1”. Team 1 has gained in strength as the competition progressed but were given stiff competition by both Team 2 in 2nd and Team 3 in 3rd. Team 4 rose like a phoenix to take 13th place with a huge 224 miles over the final weekend. Team 5 have to settle for 14th spot but have been great competitors and should hold their heads high.
On an individual basis, Person A takes top spot followed by the ever battling Person B in 2nd and, just 20 miles behind, Person C in 3rd. The top 10 was incredibly tightly contested and each and every one of the athletes in the green zone were phenomenal.
On a family basis, Person “the unstoppable” D thoroughly deserves to come 1st. Person D has been immense throughout the entire competition. Person E comes 2nd, 187 miles behind Person D and Person F comes 3rd, 69 miles behind Person E. On a total contribution to the team basis, an unofficial category, Person G, Person H and Person J take the podium places due to the dedication and self sacrifice they have shown over the past fortnight.
On an average distance per child basis, Person A’s children come top with 48 miles, followed by the children of Person B with 35 miles and Person C with 34 miles. A huge well done should be given to all the children that participated. Their contribution was crucial in propelling their teams up the rankings.
On an individual discipline basis, where we can compare like with like, Person K wins the walking competition, Person L wins the running competition and Person A wins the cycling competition. On a family basis, Person M wins the walking competition, Person N wins the running competition and Person D wins the cycling competition.
Thank you all, once again, for your participation and, who knows, perhaps we will organise a rematch for later in the year. After all, it’s just a bit of fun, right…….!
Day 12 Commentary
Fun Friday has caused huge disruption to the team leaderboard. Team 1 take the lead and find themselves 125 miles ahead of Team 2 in 2nd. Team 3 are 11 miles adrift of Team 4 and Team 5 gain two places to 4th place. Team 6 and Team 11 deliver an incredible 289 and 271 miles which sees them move up an impressive 5 positions and 3 positions respectively. With just two days to go, it is all to play for. Has Team 1 timed it’s charge for the line to perfection or have they gone too soon? Are Team 9 happy to settle for 14th or have they got the fight left in them to claw their way above Team 8 ahead of them. This weekend is going to be huge!
On an individual basis, Person A, the night time training nocturnal assassin, climbs 2 places to 2nd, knocking the people’s champion Person C off his 2nd spot perch. This is a huge shock and will send reverberations up and down the leaderboard. Nobody is safe, everybody has to fight. We have now entered the business end of the competition, the last lap, the final frontier. Let no one utter that they just can’t do it, that they don’t have the power.
On a family basis, Person E and Person F climb an impressive 8 and 11 spots to 9th and 11th place respectively. Person G is charging hard, climbing 36 places but nobody beats the rapid ascent of Person T who climbs 102 places after a stunning 90 mile effort.
Finally on a team contribution basis, Person H gains 6 spots to 7th, Person L gains an impressive 25 spots to 28th and Person O, fighting all the way to the line, climbs 38 places to 43rd.
The efforts that are being seen up and down all the leaderboards are incredible. With just two days to go, don’t lose focus and let all that hard work go to waste. Stay on target! Good luck, your efforts have been incredible and enjoy the last two days of the competition!
DAY 11 Commentary
Day 11 brings more turmoil at the top with Team 2 retaking the lead, Team 1 moving into 2nd and Team 6 moving down two places to 3rd. Only 11 miles separates the top 3 so the race to the finish could barely be closer. Team 4 are slightly adrift, 180 miles behind Team 6 and are only 22 miles ahead of Team 7. Only 18 miles separates Team 8 and Team 9 in 7th and 8th, 2 miles separates Team 10 and Team 12 in 10th and 11th, and 50 miles separates Team 13 in 12th and Team 14 in 14th. Despite remaining as the team with the most potential, Team 14 produced the 3rd greatest distance yesterday and are clearly on the move. A big day today could take them up into 11th and truly earn their team name. It’s time to mobilise! It’s time to bring it home!
In the individual competition, Person J jumps 5 places to 7th and Person N starts to put the power down, climbing 8 places to 18th. These moves pale into insignificance compared to the stunning 17 places gained by Person K and the incredible 25 place jump made by Person “turn and burn” F. A special mention must also go to Person U who has put a tremendous string of entries together and Person I whose 13 mile entry sees her jump 21 places to 86th. With 189 individual competitors, 65% of the total workforce, to make the top 100, let alone being top 50, is a great achievement. Well done to all our solo warriors.
On a family basis, Person H, Person K, Person U and Person F are all making excellent progress and Person O, after climbing 19 places with a solid 18 miles, is on the cusp of entering the nifty fifty. Back at the top of the table, it will be interesting to see how the battle between Person N and Person U resolves itself. With only 2 miles separating these two highly driven, highly motivational athletes, it’s reminiscent of watching Coe and Ovett battling it out in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Which one has the Coe sprint finish. We will see!
Finally on a total team contribution basis, Person G climbs an impressive 13 places to enter the upper echelons of the competition in 5th place. Person R, a so far under the radar but highly effective competitor, gains 9 places to 32nd and Person L gains 10 places to 35th.
There are 3 days to go but this day, another Fun Friday, could be the most important of all. If you are going to empty the tank and push yourself further, harder and longer than you have ever done before, this is the day to do it. In the words of Martine McCutcheon, one of the greatest singers of her generation, and the artist that motivated the Olympic legend Michael Phelps before every race, this is your moment, your perfect moment.
Good luck!
Day 10 Commentary
Despite the tough conditions, staff still persevered and produced a highly respectable 981 miles. As ever, this wasn’t evenly distributed, producing several changes to the leaderboard. Team 6 get back ahead of Team 3 to the tune of 21 miles and Team 1 gain 2 places to 3rd, just 6 miles ahead of Team 4 in 4th. Team 5 fall one place to 5th, despite the 2nd strongest showing on the day, due to some retrospective submissions by the teams ahead. Retrospective submissions will always be kept to the absolute minimum. At the level the teams are now operating at, with the dedication and self sacrifice being shown (and the astute analytical minds of the employees), they risk causing consternation in the ranks.
Looking further down the top 10, only 19 miles separates Team 7 in 9th with Team 12 in 12th. Team 12 had a relatively subdued day yesterday, but once the blood starts to flow, they will be back, have no doubt.
In the individual rankings, Person J, one of the greatest endurance athletes the country has yet produced, moves up 2 places to enter the top 5. He is neck and neck with Person Y with 167 miles apiece. The questions is, can the intense rivalry drive this pair onwards and potentially on to the podium? Are Person U and Person I happy to be overtaken or do they have a decisive response buried deep within their glycogen stores. However, with 10 days of the competition gone and 4 days to go, the competition is increasingly one of mental strength as opposed to pure physical ability.
On the Family basis, both Person O and Person P continue their rapid rise and both Person A and Person S will need to respond, to prevent being brushed aside. Make no mistake, despite a charming demeanour, Person D and Person F have a steely eyed determination to get on the podium and nothing but the strongest of all competitors will be able to prevent them.
Finally, on a total team contribution basis, Person G finds herself 8 miles ahead of Person H and back in 2nd spot. Person Z continues to be superb in 1st place, never tiring and never deviating from the relentless pursuit of total domination. Person X moves up 5 places to 9th and Person C moves up 14 places to 18th.
With 4 days left in this pressure cooker of a competition I wish you all the best of luck. Remember, there is no testimony without a test!
Day 9 Commentary
With just 5 days to go, the competition could barely be any closer. Only 1 mile separates Team 2 in 1st place with Team 6 in 2nd. Team 4 are 158 miles adrift in 3rd with Team 5 only 48 miles behind them. Team 1 are just 10 miles behind Team 5 with Team 12 just 32 miles behind Team 1. Team 11 and Team 13 have squeezed Team 14 back down to 10th and Team 11 produced the second biggest distance of the day to climb one place to 12th. I have a feeling that the Team 10 are going to visit the House of Pain to propel themselves off of last spot. One big day, that’s all it takes. With a bit of momentum, with a fair wind in their sails, Team 10 may yet time their America’s Cup challenge to perfection. Today is crucial!
Moving to the individual competition, Person C moves up 2 places to 5th and Person V, one of the early pioneers of the event, gets back into the top 10, moving from 11th to 9th. Person B, Person N and Person M are all looking strong, moving purposefully through the field and it’s great to see the wiry Person Q gain 12 places and enter the top 50.
On a Family basis, Person W gains 3 places to 5th and Person “stealth” E climbs a massive 20 places to enter the top 10 in 9th place. Person R continues to turn the screw, climbing 7 places to 13th and Person T gains a huge 66 places from 108th to 42nd. Person T is a ferocious competitor and her no doubt future rapid ascension up the ranks should be watched with keen interest.
There is no change to the leaders of the Total Team Contribution category with Person Y still sitting pretty at the top with a tremendous 425 miles. Person I, Person O and Person P are all on the move though but have to keep digging deep to stand a chance of entering the top 10 with all the team glory that this brings.
This is a phenomenal competition. Well done and keep going for the end is almost in sight!
Day 8 Commentary
Day 8 sees a huge distance of 2,373 miles completed, taking the total to 12,037. To put this figure into context, this is only 399 miles less than the distance from the North Pole to the South Pole. The way the 190 participants, 66% of the entire workforce, has embraced this competition is incredible and I hope you are all feeling the benefits from a mental, physical and team bonding perspective. This, the final week, is crucial to the final standings, so for those that have not yet logged a distance, please do so. It could just be that your contribution makes all the difference. Do it for the team!
Talking of teams, there has been no change to our top 4, but Team 11 has moved an amazing 5 places from 13th to 8th. Their comeback has been phenomenal and at this rate they are on for a podium finish. Not since 1985 when Dennis Taylor lost the first seven frames of the World Snooker Final in Sheffield and then went on to beat Steve Davis 18:17 has the world seen anything like it. Dare I say, the athleticism on display is even superior to that of Dennis Taylor, that finely honed potting machine. Keep going, everybody loves an underdog!
In the individual competition, there has been no change to our top 3 but Person S and Person G have gained 2 and 5 places to take them to 4th and 5th respectively. Person L, Person D and Person T are also on the move and have all now made it into the top 10. The next target is the podium! Person I, Person G and Person C deserve a special mention for rampaging through the ranks and putting themselves in contention.
On a “Family” basis Person M gains a place to take her within the top 5 and Person L gains 3 places to take her comfortably into the top 10. There has also been great mobilisation from Person G, Person S, Person B and Person C. Talking of Person B, the joie de vivre shown in her photographs on display in the gallery help explain why this firm has the most friendly and welcoming Reception team anywhere in the country. Brilliant!
On a team contribution basis, it’s all fairly steady at the top but Person H, Person L and Person G are beginning to make inroads into the leaders and should be watched closely.
Finally, a few of you may be aware of the depth of analysis that is available in the league tables placed on the website. Categories are broken down to allow a fair like for like comparison. Looking through these tables shows a superhuman effort of 50 miles input in one day by Person C in the individual running table. There may well be an element of catch up here, but still it’s a great effort and a phenomenal achievement and deserves a special mention.
With six days to go, the competition remains as intense as ever. Keep it steady and keep it consistent. This is turning into a war of attrition. Good luck!
Weekend Commentary
The end of Week 1 sees Team 6 holding the top slot with a total of 1,013 miles. Team 2 are only 50 miles behind with a total of 963 and Team 4 are 3rd with 866. Only 21 miles separates the next 3 teams and Team 8 and Team 1 are neck and neck with 756 miles apiece. Team 8 has overtaken Team 10 and are now only 21 miles behind Team 9. As stated by Robert Service in the classic poem, The Quitter; “to fight and to fight when hope's out of sight — why, that's the best game of them all!” Team 8 - very well done!
The battle at the top of the individual table continues to rage with Person R and Person W swapping positions on an almost daily basis. T has had a strong weekend climbing 3 places to 3rd as has Person “under the radar” S who climbs an incredible 12 places to 5th and now finds himself only 1 mile behind Person R and Person F. With only 10 miles separating positions 9 through to 16, the kudos of coming within the top 10 is going to be hotly contested. Further down the table Person N, Person S, Person L and Person B are beginning to put in some serious miles and have the momentum to carry them through to a top 5 slot. For these four, the final week is going to be key.
On the “family” exercise basis, Person E is sitting imperiously in 1st place. Person E has been consistently impressive and thoroughly deserves the fame she will be currently enjoying. Person L deserves a special mention for a strong string of performances that see her move up 15 places to 11th. Person K has moved up an incredible 79 places with a Day 6 entry of 83 miles. If Person K wants a top 10, nay a top 5, finish, it is her’s for the taking.
On a total team contribution basis, the usual protagonists remain at the top of the leaderboard, each one being a talisman for their teams. However, if we look a little further down the table we begin to uncover some new names that are having a huge impact on their team’s standings. Person P for example, with an 80 mile contribution on Day 7, Person O - 85 mile contribution, Person J - 73 miles over the weekend and Person V with a Sunday contribution of 44 miles. Each of these people are digging in and propelling their teams forward. Well done and keep it up.
This is the final week of the competition and I wish you all the best of luck. What you have achieved so far, 9,664 miles, is incredible. You are now fitter and stronger than you were last week with hopefully some new habits beginning to form. This is who you are now, this is what you do. Do yourselves proud on this, the biggest sporting stage many of you will have experienced!
Day 5 Commentary
Day 5, aka “Fun Friday” has turned out to be an absolute monster. Excluding the doubling of the mileage, employees collectively travelled over 1,800 miles, an average of over 6 miles per participant. This is a phenomenal achievement and something that your peers across the country would be hard pushed to replicate. Team 8, Team 9, Team 10 and of course, the people’s favourite, Team 11, are all entirely appropriate team names for such a hard working, gritty collection of endurance machines. Truly well done!
On a team basis, Team 6 gain a magnificent 6 paces to take top spot with a total distance of 721 miles. Team 4 are only 9 miles behind in 2nd, with Team 2 slipping 2 places to 3rd. Team 8, a coiled spring in 14th, had a tremendous Day 5 total of 201 miles, putting them only 19 miles behind Team 9. Team 8 has great momentum and if it continues, Day 5 could be forever known as “The Awakening”.
On an individual basis, Person W takes the lead after racking up 100 miles. Person W, an extremely astute competitor, produced the goods when he knew it would have maximum impact. With a mixture of brains and brawn, he is going to be a hard man to displace from the top of the leaderboad. Person H gains an impressive 9 places to 4th and Person D is on the move, gaining 14 places to 13th. In fact, there is movement everywhere - the positions as we near the end of Week 1 are still wide open.
On a family basis, Person E remains at the top but Person F launched a perfectly timed attack with an augmented total of 128 miles, taking him up 11 places to 2nd, only 6 miles behind Person E. Person D, Person A and Person M also make hugely impressive inroads on the leaderboard with a display of endurance, timing and ruthlessness that are comparable to even that of the indefatigable Person W.
Person E remains top of the total contribution leaderboard but the competition is getting increasingly tight. This weekend is going to be key in seeing whether the new kids on the block like Person N, Person K, Person W and Person S are credible threats to the Person E/Person T stranglehold at the top of the table. Special mentions must go to Person A, Person B, Person C and Person J who have really stepped up to the plate for the benefit of their teams. Remember, ask not what your team can do for you, but what you can do for your team.
Enjoy the weekend, have fun and let’s make Monday’s narrative a real eye opener!
Day 4 Commentary
The days keep getting longer, and the distances keep getting bigger! Day 4 sees a total of 1,219 miles submitted by 113 participants. The total distance walked, run or cycled is now in excess of the distance from London to New York, an incredible achievement. Can any team make it on their own though? If they can, they would surely be inducted into a corporate “Hall of Fame” with their sporting prowess admired for years to come.
There is still a huge amount of movement in the Team league tables with Team 4 gaining an impressive 6 places putting them now, incredibly, neck and neck with Team 3. This is thanks in no small part to the efforts of Person J and the fact that they had the highest number of participants competing on the day. It’s a game of solidarity and Team 4 are playing it brilliantly.
On an individual basis, Person W and Person F gain 1 and 3 places respectively and Person H has put in two big back to back efforts to climb 6 places to 7th. Person M announced the start of his participation with a huge 34 mile cycle and Person P entered the fray with a highly disruptive 30 miler. It should be noted that the individual competition is heavily dominated by cyclists which is why, to uncover some unsung heroes, it pays to look at the league tables for each discipline. In the individual walking rankings, we see the likes of Person V, Person H, Person J and Person O dominating proceedings providing the steady mileage that acts as a backbone to their team’s efforts. The cyclists may get the glory, but every team needs a rock solid core and this is where the walkers and runners have a huge role to play.
In the “Group” category, Person Y just takes the lead from Person “I’ll be back” F and Person N stakes a claim to 6th with a monumental 40 miler. Further down the table Person I has entered the fray in 10th after a superb effort of 35 miles. The “Group of Six” will welcome Person I’s contribution and will no doubt be encouraging him to continue.
Person F continues to lead the Total Contribution leaderboard but Person E has jumped 12 places to 2nd. A special mention must go to Person W who gains 11 places to 9th not through one spectacular effort but through the daily discipline of grinding out the miles. Person M, Person I and Person S are cut from the same cloth with an unrelenting, metronomic pursuit of mileage for the benefit of the Team.
Another great day with another spectacular distance. Tomorrow, aka “Fun Friday” means that all the mileage submitted will be doubled. This is when you need to push hard. This is when the likes of “Scrambled Legs” can really make up ground on Team Magnesium. Interestingly, Scrambled Legs seem to be falling behind Team Magnesium at a decreasing rate which should be a source of huge encouragement. Tomorrow is the day when the tide turns.
Well done to all the teams. Keep encouraging each other, keep getting outside and keep feeling the mental and physical benefit of all this exercise. Good luck!
Day 3 Commentary
Day 3 has proven to be another huge day, with a record distance of 1,098 miles and 106 individuals participating - 37% of the entire workforce! A tremendous achievement.
Team 10 moves up to top spot with a total distance of 232 miles. Team 7 and Team 13 are close behind, being on 215 miles each, with Team 14 only 1 mile behind with 214 miles. It is incredibly tight at the top of the leaderboard but things can change very quickly. Team 3, for example, are a huge store of latent potential in 14th and will no doubt start to increasingly turn the screw and make their presence felt. Fortunate in having no fear of being overtaken, they can really focus on picking the other teams off one by one. Watch this space!
In the individual ‘lone wolf’ category, Person C remains imperious at the top of the table with an impressive 60 miles, but there is a huge battle developing for second place. Person G and Person W are both on 47 miles with Person B, Person E and Person F just tucked in behind, waiting to react to their every move. These athletes are currently powering their teams forward. With the adulation comes a great deal of responsibility though and this can sit heavy on some shoulders. It will be interesting to see how things develop.
In the “combined exercise” league table, Person F remains in the lead, but is only 1 mile ahead of Person E. Person H is close behind in 3rd and has just put in the biggest combined distance of the competition with 43 miles. Person H obviously has a tremendous amount of firepower at his disposal but whether he chooses to deploy it on a daily basis remains to be seen.
On a team contribution basis, Person T remains in top spot, but looking at the distances that are being produced from competitors just below, her position is looking somewhat precarious. However, Person T is a ferocious competitor and thrives in the pressurised environments she now finds herself in.
There is still a long way to go though and, as Team 3 are well aware, the “rope-a-dope” strategy deployed by Muhammad Ali in the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle can prove highly effective. Find your pace, keep your Team in contention, and when the time is right launch a devastating counter attack.
Good luck, keep battling and enjoy!
Day 2 Commentary
A phenomenal 1,039 miles on Day 2 demonstrates the sheer athleticism to be found amongst employees. This is an incredible distance and embodies an increased level of team work and competition throughout the firm.
Team 13 manage to stay in the lead, but they are only 8km ahead of a hard charging Team 10 that has gained an impressive 6 places, up from 8th to 2nd. Team 14 remain in 3rd but a special mention must go to Team 7 who have gone from last to 4th. With a combined distance of 125km, Team 7 has the momentum and the opportunity to take top spot tomorrow.
On an individual basis, Person R has come from nowhere to take the lead with a solid 37 mile submission. Person W is only 1 mile behind though and Person B is just a few miles shy of him. It will be interesting to see if our top 3 have anything left for tomorrow or whether the metronomic approach of Person G, Person D and Person F is a more sustainable strategy.
On a family basis, Person O has produced an exceptional 2 day total of 42 miles, 17 miles ahead of Person Q, the nearest competitor. Person T is looking strong but Person K, Person B, Person Y and Person I all put in 20 mile submissions and look to have their sights firmly on that top spot. However, with the largest submission to date of 25 miles, Person Q has tremendous firepower at his disposal and should not be underestimated!
Finally, on a total team contribution basis, Person T leads with 65 miles, followed by Person Q and Person R with 42 miles and 41 miles respectively. It’s tough at the top of one category, let alone two, so let’s see how Person T reacts to the pressure tomorrow.
Great effort today. Find your rhythm and embrace the competition. Good luck!
Day 1 Commentary:
Day 1 of the Challenge has started with a bang! In total, 399 miles were covered by the 14 teams, with Team 13 gaining an early advantage with a total of 60 miles, albeit only 3 miles ahead of Team 14 on 57. At the other end of the table, Team 7 and Team 12 have started somewhat more slowly. This is no doubt down to experience, knowing that the road ahead is long and that a steady measured approach will win the day. Could this be a battle of exuberance versus wisdom. Are these teams being too wise? We will see!
In the individual “lone wolf” competition, Person Q is off to a flyer with an initial distance of 17 miles. Person W is only 3 miles behind however, with then only 2km separating the next 5 competitors behind Person W. Early days of course and it will be interesting to see if these early feats of endurance can be repeated.
For those who enjoy exercising with others, Person Q is again in top spot, closely followed by Person E and Person R. Remember, the total combined distance of a group exercising together counts in this category. The bigger the group, the greater the combined distances. Things can change quickly here!
Finally, although not an official prize category, it’s always interesting to see who is contributing most to their Team’s total through a combination of both individual exercise and additional exercise with others. Let it not be said that Person Q is not a team player. He has single handedly taken Team 4 into 4th place but now, surely, must be looking for some back up.
Great start to the competition - let’s see what Day 2 brings!