2021 Walk with a Doc Challenge
The annual Walk with a Doc Walk Challenge will be held Oct. 22 through Nov. 5 and will take participants on a tour through Austin, London, Tokyo, and the Inca Trail.
Registration is open and available throughout the event. The cost of the event begins at $40 per person.
The two-week event allows participation in up to four virtual marathons in four different countries around the world. If you have ever dreamed of participating in a marathon, but thought it was out of reach, the challenge is a perfect time to accomplish that feat.
Challengers of all abilities and talents are encouraged to participate in any type of activity they enjoy and can do safely. Activities include, but are not limited to, walking, running, cycling, swimming, housework, and more. Virtual base camps staffed with Walk with a Doc physicians will provide encouragement along the way.
Participants will log activity each day to virtually move along the marathon routes with an interactive experience. The platform automatically converts any physical activity into “walking miles” and no tracking device is required. If an individual completes a 26.2-mile marathon route, they will move on to the next one.
Participants will receive their own digital race bib, an e-certificate marking their completion of each marathon, virtual travel postcards, and more. Event t-shirts and commemorative medals are also available for purchase.
Walk with a Doc was started in 2005 by David Sabgir, MD, a cardiologist in Columbus, Ohio. Frustrated with his inability to affect behavior change in the clinical setting, he invited his patients for a walk at a local park, where more than 100 people joined him. Today, there are more than 500 chapters worldwide.
Samuel D. Luber, MD, MPH, professor, executive vice-chair of academic affairs, and assistant dean for graduate medical education in the Department of Emergency Medicine, is the faculty sponsor for the Walk with a Doc program. Luber started the Walk with a Doc chapter at McGovern Medical School in 2018.
For more information on the 2021 Walk with A Doc Challenge, visit the organization’s website.