October 20, 2015
Teekay Completes 100-day Global Corporate Challenge
Eighty-nine Teekay teams across the globe recently crossed the finish line by completing the Global Corporate Challenge (GCC), a 100-day journey where teams challenge one another to complete an average of 10,000 steps a day.
This year’s challenge marks Teekay’s fourth and most successful year in the program. How far did we move? To give you an idea, Teekay was able to accrue 799,627,158 steps – a distance equal to the length of Great Britain 366 times!
Ranking as the world’s most active organization in the transport and logistics industry, Teekay staff walked an average of 13,679 daily steps. It’s worth noting that an average sedentary worker usually gets 3,000 steps a day. Through healthy competitions, tons of creativity and the usual supply of Teekay Spirit, the challenge offered a unique opportunity for teams to work together to increase their levels of physical activity, nutrition and sleep. As soles wore down and weight was shed, it wasn’t uncommon to see Teekay employees pacing around the office, braving interesting weather conditions, and even enlisting their spouses in the challenge.
Completing the 100-day challenge is a significant milestone all should be proud of. Take a peek at our journey!
By The Numbers
Most Active TeamWalking Spirits | Most Active IndividualsSamantha Heng, Tom Lai and Cinda Cheung |
 Big congratulations are in order for this year’s winning GCC team! The most active team award went to team Walking Spirits. Based out of the Teekay Vancouver office, The Walking Spirits completed 14,669.154 steps in 100 days and ranked 953 out of 44,289 GCC teams . Their daily step average eradicated the competition with 20,955 per day. |  Teekay’s most active individuals just so happen to all be part of the Teekay Vancouver office. Is there something in the water? We wonder! |
ACTIVITIES | |
 | 24 Peaks ChallengeOn Saturday, July 11 2015, Teekay teams from our London, Stavanger and Glasgow offices (and guests) took part in the annual Seafarers UK Challenge which saw them climb 24 peaks in under 24 hours. Overall, 13 teams marched on through sideways rain, strong winds, muddy paths, cold weather and cloudy peaks. The overcast weather also caused some navigation issues for climbers who had to refine their map and compass skills real-time. Together, the hikers raised £50,000 for the Seafarers UK Charity of which the Teekay Team raised £17,000. The charity aims to provide funding and support to seafarers in need and their families. |
 | Foot and FoodResearch has shown that a 15 minute post-meal walk can help with digestion and improve blood sugar levels. What does research say about walking and eating? It’s delicious and fun. Ladies from the Vancouver offices put together a genius idea – a foot and food marathon. The premise being that getting to know coworkers, reaching 10,000 steps, and enjoying food is possible all at once. The ladies were able to reach over 19,000 steps before lunch time. |
 | ZumbaThere is more than one way to get 10,000 steps, one of them being Zumba! For those who don’t know, Zumba is an aerobic fitness program inspired from Latin American dance. In Manila and Vancouver, it was the activity of choice for many lunch hours. Ladies and a few gents for their hips moving to the beat of perhaps one too many Shakira songs. |
 | Battle of the SexesYou’ll never understand them so might as well beat them, right? That’s what the Vancouver office got up to over the course of GCC. In this cutthroat fight, 6 gals and 6 guys got to steppin’ in the hopes of engraving their names on the sought-after “Leg of Thrones”. With one point awarded for every 10,000 daily steps completed, the teams challenged each other over the course of five rounds. The men were beaten in rounds one through three sighing in relief when they made it through the fourth, barely escaping a sudden death. One million steps in eight days were not enough to save the women however and the men took home their leg, so to speak. The activity brought together an already tight-knit team even closer. XXXX |
10-SECOND CHALLENGE
Teams from around the world had the chance to showcase their creative skills and have some fun with the 10 Second Video Challenge. Shortlisted teams had the chance to receive a GoPro Camera or GCC merchandise. Here are our Teekay favorites!
GCC SPIRIT AWARDSTo recognize participants who wholeheartedly embraced this year’s challenge, GCC introduced the ‘GCC Spirit Award’. The award recognized the efforts put forth by participants who truly embodied what GCC is about; those who supported and motivated others and who always gave their best. The award also gave a great opportunity for staff to acknowledge the commitment others make to their health and encourage others to follow their lead. Over 60 GCC participants were picked from across the globe – here are some stories from two of the weekly winners! | |
Chris Brett | Michael Nielsen |
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Arguably one of the busiest people in our organization, Chris is in constant back-to-back meetings or on a plane somewhere around the world. Despite his schedule, he was able to maintain a step average of over 22,000 steps/day while encouraging his team to do the same. Over the course of GCC, he even organized a friendly competition at the Trondheim office in hopes of bringing the competition to Vancouver’s doorstep. | Michel suffered a fall, a cold, and even the theft of his bicycle over the course of the GCC challenge. Despite these setbacks he was still able to achieve the highest step average and step total in his team. He did so by walking, swimming and cycling without the physical presence of his teammates to motivate him. Michel proved that it is possible to embrace and exemplify team spirit even when all of your teammates are in other countries. |
Mother Nature at Work | |
| The dedication of Teekay staff around the world was most apparent during some pretty interesting weather systems over the summer. Perth, Australia succumbed to some serious rainfall and a loss in day-light hours (hey, it’s not summer in the Southern hemisphere!). Vancouverites on the other hand awoke to wildfire smoke in July. The orange clouds of southern British Columbia were even thick enough to be picked up by NASA satellites! The smog, which lingered for a few days forced many GCC participants to get their steps inside. In Europe however, Aberdeen was feeling the wetter wrath of mother nature where major floods ground the city to a halt. Encouragements were very much in need for those experiencing weather tantrums around the world. Despite setbacks, many were still able to get their steps. — | |
 Vancouver, British Colombia during Wildfires. |  Rainy weather in Perth, Australia. |
 Summer floods in Aberdeen, Scotland. |  Summer floods in Aberdeen, Scotland. |
TESTIMONIALSXXX | |
| Peter EvensenPresident and Chief Executive Officer |
 | Sunil SharmaSenior Ship Superintendent, Teekay Singapore |
 | Samantha HengExecutive Assistant and Human Resources Coordinator, Teekay Coporation |
 | Rebecca JakobsenExecutive Assistant /Public Affairs Manager, Teekay Trondheim |
CONGRATULATIONSWay to go Teekay! What a feat it is to be able to say that we are The World’s Most Active Organization this year in the industry of Transport and Logistics. This achievement was made possible through hard work, teamwork, and a whole lot of #TeekaySpirit. |
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