REACHING finishing lines is nothing new for major corporations and it’s certainly nothing new for Corporate Health Events Management (CHEM) founder Emily Davies.
Ms Davies said Australian companies were encouraging employees to get involved in corporate team-building activities such as the Sunday Mail Suncorp Bridge to Brisbane race, but she warned that preparation was the key, with proper health checks, training programs and nutritional plans an integral part of any corporate training plan.
“There is no question that a healthy body equals a healthy mind but too many businesses are taking an ad hoc approach,” she said.
“If companies are going to encourage staff to participate then they also need to make sure they are safe, with measures put in place to monitor health, nutrition and fitness.
“By doing this they will ensure the health and safety of their staff and the experience really can be enjoyed by all.”
Two corporate team members are Luke Clynick, an associate at recruitment firm Arete Executive, and Lindsey Cook, a radiographer with Queensland XRAY at the Greenslopes Hospital.
It will be the second time they have taken part and both believe participation boosts morale and healthy attitudes in their workplaces.
But the Bridge to Brisbane is not just about corporate teams.
Individuals make up a major part of the pack and it’s last but not least for Sandy Hodkinson and her daughter Aleisha Butt.
The two were officially the last people to cross the finish line during the Sunday Mail Suncorp Bridge to Brisbane in 2000.
A decade later and the mother-and-daughter team are still participating in the fun run.
“When we came officially last it became a tradition to come back again and again to beat our time,” Mrs Hodkinson, 46, said.
“We still walk the 10km but we make sure we don’t come last again.”
Both mother and daughter are now living in Sydney but plan to make the trip up for the Bridge to Brisbane event on August 29.
They have competed in all but one race since 2000.
Mrs Hodkinson, who used to work for Suncorp, said that Aleisha was just nine years old when they first lined up on the starting block. She is now 19.
“The kids were asthmatics so it became a bit of a challenge for us,” she said.
“We would walk with the puffers ready to go but the ambulance was following us anyway because we were last.
“Now it’s a personal and mental challenge and I think I have it under two hours now.”
Aleisha said the event was also a good opportunity to get the family together. “I’ve now competed with many generations in my family – my mother, my brother, my father, my aunt, my mother’s uncle, my nephew,” she said.