By Megan Wilcox, APR, ThedaCare Media and Public Relations
Since the Pedometer Challenge began the second week of February, no one has racked up more steps than Mark Hauser of New London.
The secret to getting on average 186,000 steps during the past eight weeks? His job. He’s a mailman in New London, who works six days a week. “The old-timers always said they thought a normal route was a good 15-mile walk a day. I think that’s about right,” says the 53-year-old who will celebrate his 35th anniversary with the Post Office this summer.
This is the second year for the Pedometer Challenge, which is sponsored by ThedaCare and ThedaCare Orthopedic Care, and no one has put up the numbers like Mark has. As part of the Challenge, participants received a pedometer and log to record their daily steps. They total the steps and send them to me weekly. Last year, members of the media and community partners, such as the chambers of commerce, were invited to participate. This year, I put a twist in it and encouraged participants to find a buddy to keep them motivated.
Judy Steffes of WTCH in Shawano looked beyond her circle of friends to find her buddy. She talked about the Challenge on the air and asked if any listeners were interested in being her buddy. “I heard that and thought ‘that sounds interesting. I’ll give it a try.’ I’ve never worn a pedometer before so I thought why not?” Mark says.
He connected with Judy and began logging his steps. “I’m surprised it’s so many, but I guess I do walk a lot,” Mark says.
As for participants looking to catch Mark and his step total, there’s something else you should know: he’s also a runner.
“I’m looking forward to it getting warm out so I can go on some runs. I enjoy jogging and keeping active. During winter, I played in a Sunday night basketball league,” Mark says. “I’m not the kind of guy who will just sit on the couch and watch TV.”
