Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 7 H E A LT H Y B U S I N E S S Maine has a growing number of events. SailMaine's Corporate Regatta, held o the Portland waterfront, is in its sixth year. In Yarmouth, the nd Annual Run of the Royal is a canoe relay for eight-person company teams. Like Beach to Beacon, both of those are growing in participation, drawing companies interested in participating in community events and o ering their employees a fun and healthy outing — an extra, invigorating layer to the suite of team-building and health and wellness programs many companies have in place. Yet it's not about the competition. Although there are always naturally competitive employees who will go for the gold, others are casual participants in the sport, or even novices who might need a bit of persuasion to give it a try. It's more about the "team" part of the event — having fun together in a healthy environment outside of the workplace, breaking down barriers of job titles, getting to know each other, boosting awareness of the t and healthy lifestyle, and having a common experience to schmooze about back at the workplace. One runner's journey Wold of TD Bank got into running when he was a kid. "People who have only known me as an adult are often surprised to hear that I started running in high school because I was quite overweight," he says. "I was very self-conscious, so I started running. And I really never looked back." Today, he runs, on average, ve days a week, roughly miles a week. At TD Bank, to employees a year have taken part in BB's corporate challenge since its inception. Among them, Wold says, he's been delighted to see rst-timers. "I would venture to guess that, every year that we have done this, we've had at least one employee for whom it was the rst race they'd ever done," he says. "It gave them the motivation they needed to say, 'OK, I've been meaning to do this and now I'm going to do it.' I have friends who have won the Maine race and friends who have run a personal best in this race. But you don't ever see from them what you see in somebody who crosses the n- ish line for the rst time ever, and you see they're hooked and this will change their lives. " at's what drew me to running in the rst place, and I have a lifetime of seeing how running bene ts me. So to see these people take that on has really been rewarding." 'How's your training going?' At Portland-based Seafax, to of the company's approximately employees take part in Beach to Beacon, says David Weatherbie, the rm's treasurer, secretary and operational overseer. Weatherbie is also the former race president for Beach to Beacon and an avid runner, tallying about miles a week. "I enjoy it because I love to run and the event takes place in my hometown," Weatherbie says. "I always have a huge smile on my face come race morning, and I'm very encouraging of and encouraged by employees from my company who participate in the event. I'm always checking in with people before the race: 'How's your training going?' And after the race, asking 'How did it go?' For me, there's a sense of pride." Seafax elds a mix of race veterans — like Weatherbie, who nishes the run in under min- utes — and less serious runners who might take well over an hour to reach the nish. Most, he says, participate with a personal goal in mind, and they end up exercising more to prepare for the event. "It's an event people look forward to," he says. " ey set a goal and get out there and ramp up their exercise program. e race happens and then shortly after you hear runners say, ' at was an amazing experience. I'm going to train harder next year.'" at culture of exercise contributes to the success of the business, he says. "We have some employees who tend to work out during lunchtime," he says. "When they come back from working out, their energy level stays higher throughout the day. ey're invigorated, and that translates into being more productive." Sailing with 'collaborative spirit' At the law rm Verrill Dana, attorney Ben Ford says he chooses his crew for the SailMaine Corporate Regatta with a collaborative spirit in mind. Ford is an enthusiastic boater who joined the rm shortly after the regatta's rst race, in . Verrill Dana has par- ticipated in the regatta from the start, and Ford has been a booster ever since. " e rst thing I do is nd people who have never sailed before or have limited experience. I try to put people from di erent departments together," he says. " e rst thing they always say is, 'I don't have any sail- ing experience.' I say, 'I don't care.' It's a great bonding experience. People have to pay attention to the boats around them, listen to commands and work together." Sailboat racing can be intense, says Ford. "Last year, we had howling winds, which makes for very exciting races," he recalls. "When there are a lot of boats on the start line and a lot of wind, you have boats moving at full speed within a foot of each other and everyone's yelling at each other and there's water splashing around and most people on the boats don't know what's going on. Somehow everyone gets across the line and everyone has a good time." C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » A sampling of corporate challenges ¡ 20th TD Beach to Beacon 10K — August 5 Course begins in Cape Elizabeth, runs 6.2 miles to Fort Williams, next to Portland Head Light. Since its inception, the event has raised $570,000 for Maine charities. ¡ SailMaine's 6th Annual Corporate Regatta — June 3 Two starts: easy-to-sail J/22 sailboats provided by SailMaine, with three to four people per boat; and bring-your-own Etchells sailboat. Fundraiser for the SailMaine Scholarship Fund. ¡ 2nd Annual Run of the Royal — May 13 Canoe relay race in Yarmouth for eight-person teams. Last year's race raised more than $10,000 for the Royal River Conservation Trust. It's an opportunity for companies It's an opportunity for companies It's an opportunity for companies It's an opportunity for companies It's an opportunity for companies It's an opportunity for companies It's an opportunity for companies It's an opportunity for companies It's an opportunity for companies It's an opportunity for companies It's an opportunity for companies It's an opportunity for companies It's an opportunity for companies It's an opportunity for companies or other groups to pull their team or other groups to pull their team or other groups to pull their team or other groups to pull their team or other groups to pull their team or other groups to pull their team or other groups to pull their team or other groups to pull their team or other groups to pull their team or other groups to pull their team or other groups to pull their team or other groups to pull their team or other groups to pull their team together and let people have fun at their own speed. Some people win by placing first and some people win by laughing. — Alan Stearns Royal River Conservation Trust

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