March to health at IT this month
4TH YR STUDENTS LAUNCH NEW ‘MARCHATHON’ CHALLENGE
THREE 4 th year Public Health and Health Promotion students have announced their national step challenge campaign in the college in line with Smarter Travel.
The Marchathon is the annual Smarter Travel Campus Walking Challenge that runs in the month of March each year. It encourages students and staff to get into teams of 3-6 people and to walk to campus and throughout the day. Participants can win prizes, get fitter and use their feet as a sustainable form of transport.
Steps are measured with the use of the SmarterTravel app. The Marchathon was launched on the 26 th of February and it will continue until Friday 23rd of March.
Tara Reilly from Monaghan and Andrew Dodd and Sonia Mc Dermott from Sligo have high hopes that the participants in the Marchathon challenge will reach the recommended 10,000 steps or more daily.
Walking is an excellent form of physical activity that can help with reduction of obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and it is also a great way to reduce stress and depression.
At the recent launch of the Project Ireland 2040, the Marchathon project received support and interest from various Ministers. The Minister for Health Simon Harris said that it “sounds like a great initiative to get students up and moving.”
They also received great support from the President of IT Students’ Union Barry Ó Clochasaigh who has said:“The Marchathon is a fantastic way to get students and staff up and active while adding an element of competition.”
Throughout the challenge there will be various events running such as ‘ “less stress more steps’’, SligOlympics, Easter egg hunt and colour walk/run, plus various walking events.
On the 8th of March @ 5pm the students and the Tree Council of Ireland host a guided walk with Michael Bell of Nature Learn, at Hazelwood Forest, suitable to all fitness levels.
The colour walk/run will be held at IT Sligo on the 14 th of March @ 4.30pm along the Slí na Slainte route and around the track in IT Sligo. It is to encourage people to get their steps up, raise awareness and fundraise money towards Sligo Mental Health and Wellbeing Association.
The 4 th year students are working in conjunction with Smarter Travel, IT Sligo, Health and Safety Officer ( Yvonne Roache), Student Union, SligoWalks.ie, SligOlympics (Áine Breen and Jackie Conaty), Colour run/walk (Jack De Lacy and Eoin Higgins) and 3rd Year Students from Tourism and Events Management.
They are supported by ROM, Sligo Park Hotel, EJ Menswear, Inglot, The Swagman, Raw Health Sligo and Sweet Beat Café who have kindly donated sponsorship prizes.
For more see Facebook – IT Sligo Marchathon 2018/Twitter – Marchathon IT Sligo 2018
For further information check out smarter travel website on https://www.smartertravelworkplaces.ie/step-challenge/ what-is-the-step-challenge/