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Four universities to walk 200 000 km in ten weeks

12 April 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Charl Devenish

“May the best team win the 2019 BestMed Pedometer Challenge!” said LJ van Zyl, Pedometer Challenge ambassador.

Participants in the 2019 BestMed Pedometer Challenge will start improving their health step by step after the University of the Free State (UFS) challenged the Stellenbosch University, Central University of Technology, and North-West University (NWU) to an eight-week walking competition.

South African 400-metre hurdles record-holder and the Pedometer Challenge ambassador, LJ van Zyl, embraced the initiative as an alternative method to achieve fitness. “I am so tired of running and this is great way to stay fit,” he said during the official launch on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus on 5 April 2019.

Inter-institutional fight for fitness

Last year, the UFS Division for Organisational Development and Employment Wellness in the Department of Human Resources led a UFS-only challenge that saw 60 teams of staff members log a total of 54 606 km in eight weeks. The division then challenged the NWU.

Together, the NWU and UFS walked 132 000 km. This year, the UFS is taking it one step further by challenging two more institutions.

Leading the way

“We aim to get South Africa active – starting with the UFS – by embracing fitness and health ourselves,” said Arina Engelbrecht, UFS Employee Wellness Specialist.

Participants on all fitness and activity levels will gun for a 200 000 km target over 10 weeks.

The challenge kicked off on the Bloemfontein Campus with a 3-km walk at the launch, leaving 199 997 km between the four universities for the rest of the eight-week challenge.

News Archive

Rain doesn’t scare Kovsie Rag

2012-01-31

There were rain, but also sunshine, when students of our university took to the streets of Bloemfontein on colourful floats, during the annual Rag main procession on Saturday 28 January 2012.

A festive atmosphere prevailed when the procession moved along Nelson Mandela Drive, with young and old gathering in the streets to watch the floats.

Earlier in the day, two processions departed for Heidedal and Mangaung, so that residents of these neighbourhoods could also share in the activities. Food parcels were distributed in the two neighbourhoods along the way.

The main procession departed from the Main Campus at 18:00, from where it moved to the Old Greys Sports Grounds for the Rag concert. Die Heuwels Fantasties and DJ Black Coffee entertained the crowd until late. The floats of Armentum, Soetdoring, Wag-'n-Bietjie and Legatum residences were named as winners.

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