Staff at a Derbyshire firm have paid tribute to their pet dogs for keeping them active after they managed to complete the equivalent of the distance across the Atlantic Ocean despite the chilly nights and Covid lockdown.
Nine staff at Lubrizol in Hazelwood are now enjoying a well-earned rest after completing 2,067 miles by cycling, running and walking, or by converting activity on the football field and the gym into miles.
The staff took on the task in conjunction with American colleagues based at Lubrizol’s office in Cleveland, Ohio, with the aim of covering a total of 3,646 miles – the exact distance between the two offices – in aid of the British Heart Foundation and the American Heart Association.
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Jack Bowers, a placement student in Lubrizol’s global communications department, achieved his allotted miles of the company’s fundraising Atlantic Challenge by walking his dog, Reuben, at lunchtimes.
Seventeen people started the task, which they dubbed the Atlantic Challenge, but over the weeks this dropped to 16, while their efforts were also hit by snow in Ohio and the lockdown in the UK, which meant that gyms were closed and organised sport was banned.
Instead, everyone had to do more activity alone or, as it turned out, incorporate more walking, which is when dog-walking came to the fore as a way of ensuring that everybody got out and doing their miles on a regular basis.
The teams have raised a combined £1,205 and one of those taking on the task was Jack Bowers, a placement student in the firm’s global communications department, who organised the event and praised everyone for sticking at it.
Jack managed to complete around 35 miles a week, mostly by running and converting minutes spent working-out into miles but also by taking his two-year-old Australian labradoodle, Reuben, for a walk every lunchtime.
He said: “I’m quite an active person and when the gyms closed I worked out at home, but walking Reuben not only kept the miles ticking over, it gave me a break at lunch-time and that really helped me get through the working day.
“Everybody who took part in the challenge has done incredibly well, especially with lockdown making things harder, and I know that the dog-owners have counted their dog walking miles as well because they were unable to do other activities.
“I’m very pleased with the success of the Atlantic Challenge but what’s been pleasing is how helpful we’ve all found the exercise to be. We’re all home-working and it can get quite intense sitting at a screen all day, so this gave us all a reason to get outside and do some much-needed exercise.”
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Meredith Bruder, creative project manager for Lubrizol in Cleveland Ohio, achieved her allotted miles of the company’s fundraising Atlantic Challenge by walking her dog, Biscuit.
Lubrizol UK has raised funds for the BHF over the last two years, as well as taking part in a series of events designed to promote exercising regularly in order to enjoy the benefits of having a healthy heart.
To donate to Lubrizol’s Atlantic Challenge visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gcga-derby-to-cleveland
