Get Fit by Trekking to Talloires

It’s the start of a new year, and that means the Trek to Talloires is off and running—or dancing, swimming, walking, shoveling snow or pursuing any other form of activity participants choose to engage.

The Trek is the annual virtual race that takes participants from the Medford/Somerville campus to a variety of locations, with the Tufts European Center in Talloires, France, the ultimate destination. In the past five years, more than 4,000 members of the Tufts community have logged 250,000 hours of activity in an effort to keep moving—and engaging in a friendly competition. Participants post the time they spend exercising on the Trek website, and their status is listed so they see how many hours they’ve completed compared with everyone else.

The goal is to be active and healthy. The Trek has encouraged some to rev up their activity level and others to get started, says Brian Dawe, a rowing coach in the athletics department. Walking even 30 minutes a day helps relieve stress and leads to overall health improvements, he notes.

For those who don’t make it all the way to the virtual Talloires, there are closer destinations along the way. Shorter segments include walks to the Medford Boathouse and to the Boston campus and back and a bike ride to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Grafton.

Some participants have found they no longer drive to get a cup of coffee, but instead walk over to Tamper Cafe on Boston Avenue or even 3 Little Figs up Highland Avenue, says Dawe. Others meet up with friends at lunch hour to take a walk or go for a morning swim at the Tufts pool. Still others sign up for a dance class.

Participation is free and open to the Tufts community. To participate, go to www.trek-to-talloires.org and follow the directions. The Trek started Jan. 1 and continues through early April. “It’s never too late to sign up,” Dawe says. “You can always backlog your trips.”

Marjorie Howard can be reached at marjorie.howard@tufts.edu.