Corporate Walking Challenges for Employee Wellness & Engagement
Get your team moving together on iconic trails — whether they're in the office, remote, or hybrid. Walk The Distance makes it easy.
Individual Progress
Team Challenge
More Than a Step Challenge
Most step challenges last a few weeks, spike activity, and then everyone goes back to normal. Walk The Distance is different. Every employee gets a long-term, individual goal — virtually hiking an iconic trail like the Appalachian Trail (2,200 miles), the Pacific Crest Trail (2,650 miles), or the Camino de Santiago.
That goal lives in the background for months or even years. Over time, participants watch themselves move further and further along a real trail map — passing through towns, crossing mountain ranges, and hitting checkpoints they can share with friends. It's the kind of progress that builds lasting habits, not just a temporary bump in steps.
Long-Term Goals, Short-Term Motivation
While every employee's individual trail journey keeps running in the background, you can layer on shorter-term challenges to keep energy high:
Team Challenges
Pool everyone's distance together and race to finish a trail as a group. Great for department competitions, monthly sprints, or company-wide events.
Individual Milestones
Set a shorter target — like reaching a specific checkpoint or town on the trail — so employees always have something within reach to aim for.
The combination gives you the best of both worlds: short-term excitement that keeps people engaged week to week, and a long-term journey that drives real, sustained behavior change.
Easy to Tie to Incentives
Walk The Distance automatically sends weekly and monthly progress emails to administrators with participation data, leaderboards, and individual milestones. That makes it simple to connect walking activity to your existing incentive program — gift cards, wellness credits, PTO hours, or anything else your organization offers.
Weekly Recaps
Automated emails with top walkers, total group miles, and individual progress
Monthly Reports
Deeper engagement data and milestone summaries you can share with leadership
Reward-Ready
Use milestone data to award gift cards, wellness credits, extra PTO, or other perks
How It Works
Create Your Group
We set up a private group for your organization with its own leaderboard and admin dashboard
Choose a Trail
Select from iconic trails like the Appalachian Trail (~2,200 mi), Pacific Crest Trail (~2,650 mi), or Camino de Santiago. Browse all trails →
Invite Your Team
Share a join link or QR code — employees download the free app and start walking
Track & Celebrate
View real-time leaderboards, celebrate milestones, and receive engagement reports
Never run a walking challenge before?
Grab our free launch playbook — timeline, copy-paste email templates, engagement tips, and proven incentive ideas. Optional free pilot section if you want to test with a small group first.
Why Walking Challenges Work
Low Barrier to Entry
Anyone can participate regardless of fitness level, age, or location — no gym membership required. That means higher participation across your organization.
Proven Health Benefits
Regular walking reduces heart disease risk, lowers stress, and boosts energy. A walking challenge turns these benefits into a shared team experience.
Drives Real Engagement
Leaderboards, milestones, and shared progress create friendly competition and camaraderie — especially for remote and hybrid teams.
Measurable Results
Track participation, total miles, and group progress with admin dashboards and engagement reports.
Why Organizations Choose Walk The Distance
- ✓Personal Support From Day One
Work directly with our team — not a chatbot — for setup, onboarding, and ongoing engagement.
- ✓Works With Any Fitness Tracker
Syncs with Apple Health, Samsung Health, Fitbit, and Garmin — no extra hardware needed.
- ✓Perfect for Remote & Hybrid Teams
Connect employees across offices, cities, and time zones with a shared walking goal.
- ✓Admin Dashboard & Reports
Real-time leaderboards, participation data, and milestone tracking — shareable with leadership.
- ✓Flexible Challenge Length
Run a 30-day sprint or a year-round program. Choose the trail that matches your timeline.
- ✓Inclusive & Accessible
No gym required. Employees walk during their normal day — commuting, at lunch, or around the neighborhood.
Compatible Fitness Trackers
Employees use whatever device they already own.
Apple Health
Samsung Health
Fitbit
GarminSimple, Transparent Pricing
Scales with your team size. No hidden fees.
- • Unlimited challenges
- • Personal support included
- • Free app for all participants
- • Admin dashboard included
Popular Use Cases
Employee Wellness Programs
Add a walking challenge to your wellness benefits — inclusive, easy to manage, and drives daily activity.
Team Building & Engagement
Unite remote, hybrid, and in-office teams around a shared goal with friendly competition across departments.
Fundraisers & Community Events
Tie your challenge to a cause. Organizations have raised thousands for charities while promoting health.
“Walk the Distance was an extremely successful program for our organization. During a time when we were not able to be together in person, Walk the Distance allowed us to stay connected and motivated right from our phones and helped us donate $28,000 back to our local communities. John was extremely easy to work with and he communicated everything very well.”
Jodie Gerulaitis
Vice President, Community Relations
Country Bank
Trusted by Organizations Large and Small
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve never run a wellness challenge before. How do I launch this internally?
You don't need prior experience. Our free launch playbook has a suggested timeline, copy-paste email templates, engagement tips, and proven incentive patterns. Many teams launch company-wide right away; if you prefer a small free pilot first (up to 20 people, up to 30 days), the playbook includes an expandable section with pilot-specific materials. We'll also help you tailor anything you need for your team.
How does the pricing model work?
You pay a flat rate based on your team size — monthly (cancel anytime) or annual at a lower rate. The app is free for all participants. You pick a launch date, and we open access two weeks early so employees can onboard during a grace period. Billing starts on your launch date, based on your active participants at that point. If your team grows past your tier later on, we adjust your plan accordingly (see below).
I don’t know how many people will join my challenge.
That’s totally normal — you don’t need a count up front. Employees get a two-week onboarding grace period before your launch date. We set your head count from the active participants at launch, and billing begins that day. A few people over a tier won’t bump you up — each tier includes a 10% buffer, so the 50-participant plan covers up to 55 active participants.
What happens if more people join than my plan covers?
Your plan — monthly or annual — is priced for a participant tier (for example, up to 50 participants), and each tier includes a 10% buffer so a few extra people won’t bump you up (the 50 plan covers up to 55 active participants). We only move you to a higher tier when your active count stays above that buffer for more than 30 consecutive days — a brief spike during a challenge won’t trigger a change. If the increase holds past 30 days, we move you to the appropriate tier and send a pro‑rated invoice for the remainder of your billing period. Participants never lose access while an upgrade is processed.
Do employees need to buy anything?
No. The app is free to download on iOS and Android. Employees just need a smartphone — no special equipment required, though it syncs with Fitbit, Garmin, Apple Watch, and Samsung devices if they have one.
What devices does it sync with?
Walk The Distance syncs with Apple Health, Samsung Health, Fitbit, and Garmin. Employees use whatever phone or wearable they already have — no special equipment or app purchases required.
How does onboarding work?
We handle everything. Once you sign up, we create your private group, set up your admin dashboard, and give you a join link and QR code to share with your team. Employees download the free app, enter the code, and they’re in. Most groups are fully onboarded within a day or two.
How long does a typical challenge last?
It depends on the trail and your team size. Many companies run 3–6 month challenges on the Appalachian Trail. Shorter trails like the Camino de Santiago work well for 30–60 day programs.
Can we run multiple challenges or teams?
Yes! You can create sub-groups to foster competition between departments, offices, or regions — all while contributing to the same group goal on the trail.
What kind of reporting do administrators get?
Admins get a real-time leaderboard, participation metrics, total miles walked, and individual progress. We also send weekly and monthly engagement reports you can share with leadership.
We already have a wellness platform. Why add this?
Walk The Distance isn’t a replacement for your wellness platform — it’s the engagement layer that gets people actually moving. Most wellness platforms are broad but passive. A walking challenge with real trails, leaderboards, and team competition gives employees a specific, fun reason to stay active. It plugs right into whatever incentive structure you already have.
What about data privacy?
We only collect the distance data needed to track progress on the trail — we don’t access heart rate, weight, or other sensitive health information. All data is stored securely and is never sold or shared with third parties.
Can I try it before I buy?
Absolutely. Book a free demo and we’ll walk you through the app, the admin dashboard, and how a challenge works. We can also set up a small pilot group so you can experience it firsthand before rolling out to your whole organization.
Do you have a referral program?
Yes! Check out our referral program to see how it works and what you and the team you refer each get.
Have another question? View our full FAQ or email us directly.