The Most Successful College and University Walking Challenge of All Time
For more than 2 decades faculty and staff in colleges and universities throughout North America have walked their way to better health every autumn in Walktober.
College and University Wellness Programs
Rachel LaBerge
Walktober Program Director
Emily Doyle
Account Manager
Walktober 2025
30-Minute Group Demo
Wednesday, February 12 at 1 PM ET
(session will be recorded)
Why Walktober Works for Colleges and Universities
A month into the new school year is a great time to step out and step up to better health. Summer’s heat has given way to brisk fall air, faculty and staff have settled into a routine, and everyone is ready to rally around a fun physical activity challenge.
New for 2025!
Check out the new Walktober — designed to create connection, drive engagement, and build camaraderie.
Features include:
Interactive logging
Device tracking
Worldwide fall attractions
Individual and team
participation
Organization-wide goal setting
Badges for hitting milestones
Daily tips, healthy recipes, community message board
Mobile as well as desktop applications
See why hundreds of colleges/universities, school systems, city/county/state agencies, Fortune 500 companies, health systems, and nonprofit groups participate in Walktober every fall.
A Wellness Challenge That Builds Community Year After Year
Friendship and connection, fostered through Walktober’s social tools, drive record participation and industry-leading achievement rates.
Participants on a team had a 13% higher achievement rate than those not on a team, while those with 1 or more friends had a 21% higher achievement rate.
Having active friends and exercising with them is associated with increased leisure-time physical activity; males report 2 times more activity, women report 2 1/2 times.1
Exercise with a friend is the best predictor of exercise satisfaction, suggesting that friendships and social contact may motivate exercise behavior.2
1Firestone, M., Yi, S., Bartley, K., & Eisenhower, D. (2015). Perceptions and the role of group exercise among New York City adults, 2010-2011: an examination of interpersonal factors and leisure-time physical activity. Preventive Medicine, 72, 50-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.01.001.
2Unger, J., & Johnson, C. (1995). Social Relationships and Physical Activity in Health Club Members. American Journal of Health Promotion, 9, 340-343. https://doi.org/10.4278/0890-1171-9.5.340.
