By Vantage Staff
For 30 days, he walked. And walked. And walked.
He walked throughout the day as part of his job as Newman University Residence Life Director, and then when the work day was over, he walked all night, foregoing Netflix, dinner preparation and time playing video games.
He walked laps around and around and around Newman’s campus, often from 7 p.m. until midnight. On the final day, he walked for 17 hours, fighting through the urge to stop after 16.
When April was over, Ian Lecki had walked 1,031,063 steps and achieved the “silly goal” he set for himself of not only winning the monthlong walking competition organized by Ivy Annen, Newman’s Mental Health Project Coordinator, but also of leading his team of five Newman staffers, which called itself Shrek’s Swamp Stompers, to victory as well.
“There’s no skill involved,” Lecki said. “It just comes down to how determined are you? How dedicated are you? And so that’s when I was like, ‘Okay, I’m actually going to walk all day.’”
Lecki’s team also consisted of Director of Security Steve Patton, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs Jill Fort, Melissa Castle from human resources, and assistant baseball coach Ryan Morrissey. Together, the team walked 2,810,047 steps and beat the second-place team, Half Man, Half Horse, by fewer than 15,000 steps.
Annen said that 61 people participated in the competition: 12 teams of five and one person competing as an individual.
“It was much higher than I was expecting,” she said. “I was anticipating maybe five teams.”
The department will definitely put on another walking challenge in the future, she said, though it will probably have a different setup. Students might have their own competition, separate from faculty and staff.
But there’s no doubt the competition was a success, she said.
“If nothing else, it got them out and moving, and that just kind of naturally helps boost physical and mental health a little bit,” she said.
Lecki said he’ll probably put his individual trophy on his desk. The prize for the winning team was lunch, and Lecki said he asked for permission to share the prize with the second-place team.
They’ve decided to meet up for a pizza party, he said.
Team winners
First place: Shrek’s Swamp Stompers (Ian Lecki, Steve Patton, Jill Fort, Melissa Castle, and Ryan Morrissey), 2,810,047 steps
Second place: Half Man, Half Horse (Haleigh Pearson, Travia Smith, Alex Schreiner, Emma Taylor, and Mitch Hewitt) 2,795,583 steps
Third place: The Proclaimers (Hayley Bonython, Beth Griffiths, Braxton Muldoon, Brooke Burcham, and Paige Craft), 1,681,259 steps
Fourth place: The Red Hot Chilli Steppers (Noah Smith, Kelly Morgan, Elizabeth Shepherd, Sophie Trujillo, Paige Burris) – 1,469,714 steps
Fifth place: Jet Set Striders (Josh Prilliman, McKenna Rhodes, Eliana Gaytan, Alexa Ornelas, and Natalie Meyer), 1,399,817 steps
Individual winners
First place: Ian Lecki, 1,031,063 steps
Second place: Haleigh Pearson, 996,759 steps
Third place: Hayley Bonython, 662,484 steps
Fourth place: Travia Smith, 655,103 steps
Fifth place: Alex Schreiner, 601,072 steps
PHOTO: Courtesy, Unsplash
