Staff walking in the woods

From 14-23 January 2019 Commit to Get Far is back! The new virtual journey will take staff across Britain’s most iconic point-to-point trails.

Staff can ‘travel’ from one end of Britain to the other via the most scenic trails in the country. Starting at Torquay in Devon, complete virtual exercise ‘miles’ to ‘travel’ to your final destination: Wallsend, at the end of Hadrian’s Wall.  

As usual for the annual Commit to Get Far initiative, you can apply for a 10-day free Commit to Get Far membership when you enter, which gives you access to both fitness rooms at the Sport Centre and Falmer Sports Complex and allows you to book badminton courts, table tennis, squash or any of the group exercise classes.

View the Sussexsport January timetable  to make sure you choose the right activity for you.

The number of miles you cover will be calculated according to activity; walking, running, rowing and cycling (including indoor cycling) count as actual miles, so keep track of everything you do – there are lots of good apps which can help with this, just ask and Sussexsport will recommend a few!

Other activities such as yoga, Zumba or swimming will get you one mile for every 15 minutes of activity. Complete an entire class and that will count as 4 miles!

The total distance to cover is just under 840 miles. If that seems a little daunting, you can sign up as part of a team and each contribute towards the total. 

In the past, Commit to Get Far has been a 10-day only event, but we want you to make activity part of every week right from the start. So set a goal of weeks, months or even the whole year to complete the distance and challenge each other to complete this epic journey.

Sussexsport will be on hand near the finish line to provide lots of ideas about how you can commit to go further and continue to increase your health and fitness goals across the year.  

It does get competitive, with university departments often going head-to-head for the most miles completed, but the main emphasis is on improving your well-being and fitness. 

The famous trails to be completed are:

• part of the South West coastal path from Torquay in Devon to Poole harbour in Dorset (104 miles)
• South Downs Way (100 miles)
• Thames Path (184 miles)
• Cotwsolds Way (100 miles)
• Pennine Way (265 miles) 
• Hadrian’s Wall (84 miles)

Britain has some of the most picturesque country trails on the planet, from Devon’s Jurassic coastline to the rugged, wild beauty of Hadrian’s Wall. Our busy lives and responsibilities mean that we are not typically able to grab a backpack and spend weeks walking from one end of Britain to the other, much as we might like to.  

The Commit to Get Far initiative helps us to get out and stay active regardless. Especially in January, when we might be feeling the drawn-in nights and cold weather more acutely, it is important to have a goal to help you stay fit and active.

Participants will receive a poster map of the route and key trails to be completed. Once you reach the end of a trail you will be sent a postcard that you can fix to the map to help you keep track of how far you’ve come. 

The deadline for entries is Wednesday 9 January 2019. To register for the challenge, please contact Sam Fuller: s.n.fuller@sussex.ac.uk.  

For more information please have a look at Sussexsport's dedicated Commit to Get Far webpage.