Hatch Runs to Festa Italiana!

Hatch’s Summer of Wellness continued at the 2012 Wheels & Heels Rush on Festa.  This was part of Hatch’s Wellness Challenge with/against FedEx SmartPost.  Both teams qualified for the points that week with the Rush to Festa and the week before with Bastille days.

The 5K race benefits The National Spinal Cord Injury Association of S.E. Wisconsin.

With the beautiful setting of Milwaukee’s lakefront, the event is made up of a one mile run walk and a 5K race.  In addition to the fun and fundraising, participants are given free admission to the fairgrounds.  More info can be found at http://www.spinalcordwi.org/

Festa Italiana celebrates the food, music and culture of Milwaukee’s Italian community.  As they say; “It’s Food.  It’s Family.  It’s Tradizione.”

And it was a special year for Festa.  2012 marked the 35^th anniversary of the event.  It was the first of the ethnic festivals to be held at the Summerfest grounds and is one of the city’s most beloved.  And in a city that is firework crazy, Festa boasts some of the finest fireworks you’ll see all summer.

Another highlight of the festival is the Festa Mass.  One can join tens of thousands of participants on the Sunday morning of Festa at the Marcus Amphitheatre for this special mass.  A non-perishable food item gets you into the mass and the festival.  The food donations benefit the Hunger Task Force with the goal of collecting 10,000 pounds of food.

Stay tuned to see where Hatch shows up next!

 

 

Hatch Storms the Bastille!

Hatch’s ‘Summer of Wellness’ continued with the Storm the Bastille 5k Run at Milwaukee’s Bastille Days.  Created as a way to bring attention and tourists to Milwaukee’s downtown in 1982, Bastille Days has become the largest and one of the most popular street festivals in the city.

The festival takes place in Cathedral Square park and features a forty-three foot tall replica of the Eiffel Tower.  Cathedral Square Park also hosts one of Milwaukee’s summer mainstays, Jazz in the Park.

Jazz in the Park

The Hatch team joined 4,000 other runners in the 5k walk/run.

Kristin said, “We had a great time that night and it was a success.  The people that participated from Hatch were, Eric, Lucas, May, Hannah (intern), Kristin, Lori, Ryann, and Michelle.”

Kristin Adelmund and Lori Malett

Kristin adds, “It was a lot more humid that we originally thought, but everyone successfully completed the run.”    In addition to the internal team members, a lot of additional family and friends came out to participate with the Hatch Team.

This was the first of the Wellness Challenge runs in Hatch’s competition against FedEx SmartPost.  FedEx SmartPost had a great turnout as well and the two teams got together for some group shots.

Cathedral Square Park was donated by one of Milwaukee’s founders, Solomon Juneau, in 1836.

The park was originally named Courthouse Square and contained the city’s courthouse and jail.  And just as was the case with the Bastille, Milwaukee’s jail was overrun by a mob of 5,000 people determined to rescue Joshua Glover, a runaway slave who was being held there during the Civil War.

Milwaukee’s jail paled in comparison to the imposing Bastille Prison in Paris which was stormed on July 14^th, 1789,  and ignited the French Revolution.

Milwaukee’s run has none of those ominous connotations.  It’s a fun way to kick off the festival with lots of wine, food, music and dancing to follow.

Hatch Wins!

The Trophy!

Dressed in Black and Blue, the Hatch Boot Camp Challenge team looked great when they arrived at the MMAC for the Awards Ceremony.  Their journey began seven weeks ago when they made the decision to commit to the BOOT CAMP CHALLENGE.

Hatch Team member and Co-winner, RyAnn 

The Awards Ceremony was marked by many individual achievements that were highlighted, and then the winner was finally announced!  Hatch won the overall competition and will be receiving a trophy for their successes. Our team jumped up over 5% from where we started.

The team was led by RyAnn and Kristin – both gaining over 100 points from March to now!!!!  May won the New Runner award and all Hatch employees who participated were highlighted for some pretty amazing accomplishments.

Hatch Team Member and Co-winner, Kristin, pictured center

Individuals who contributed to our first wellness victory were:

                Julie Hasler

                Kristin Adelmund

                Lucas Harvey

                Eric Becher

                Michelle Werner

                May Yang

                Elsa Medrano

                Tara Palmer

                RyAnn Vassallo

 Thanks to Leigh for getting this program launched with Ian and to all of you who participated – an outstanding job to all!!!!

The Hatch Team

Next up: Hatch Staffing vs Fed Ex!  The challenge begins July 2nd.  Check back for more details.

The Madison Marathon 10k Twilight Run

Madison’s full Marathon, which was scheduled for Sunday, May 27^th, was cancelled due to oppressive heat, but that was no problem for the participants of the inaugural Madison Marathon 10K Twilight Run.

Lori Malett and Kristin Adelmund

Hatch’s Lori Malett and Kristin Adelmund took part in the debut run, which started and ended at the Capitol building.

Kristin said, “It was a very cool run.  The most difficult part of the run were the hills.  Running on Observatory Drive uphill between miles one and two, and the 0.2 miles uphill on the final approach to the Capitol was hard.  Why do all runs end on a hill?!”

She adds, “Because the run was at night, we could see the Capitol building in the distance all lit up.  It seemed like we would never reach it, but we made it at last.  It was also nice because we weren’t faced with blistering heat.  There were a total of about 1000 runners, 200 of which were running their first 10K.”

The Hatch team continues to come together for community events and runs/walks with a passion for employee wellness.  If you would like to join them this summer, contact your Hatch representative today.  Team Hatch will be participating in Storm the Bastille, Prowl the Peak in Delafield as well as the Half Moon Half Marathon in Sheboygan to name a few of this summers’ featured events.  Keep an eye out for highlights from future Hatch events.

The Color Run

What’s more fun than running a 5k race?  Running a 5k race and having people throw stuff at you!  It’s the Color Run and it’s coming to a city near you soon.

Toni Fletcher (pictured 2nd from left) with friends at the Racine Color Run

Hatch’s Toni Fletcher and a group of her friends participated in the Racine run this past weekend.  While running the 5k or 3.1 mile course is certainly permitted, the goal is hardly to come in with the best time; the goal is pure joy expressed with color.  Toni commented, “We had a blast!  Everyone was so fun and nice.  I’d do it again in a heartbeat!”

Each leg of the race is realized with a different color: 1k is yellow, 2k is blue, 3k is green, 4k is pink and 5k is what the race organizers refer to as a “Color Extravaganza.”

There are three lanes depending on how much of that color you actually want to get plastered with.  We suspect that those who choose the center lane just aren’t going to have as much fun.

There are no age requirements for The Color Run, but you’ll have to leave your dog at home as they are not permitted.  The only requirement is that you wear a shirt that is mostly white.  Oh yeah, and that you have some fun!

The Color Run selects a different organization from each participating city and a percentage of the profits go to their cause.  The Racine race benefitted Real Racine – The Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau.  You still have two chances to participate in a Color Run nearby; June 2^nd in Chicago and September 8^th right here in Milwaukee.  Registration fills up fast so don’t delay.  And look for the Hatch Team.  We’ll be there!

For more info on The Color Run go to http://thecolorrun.com/

Tough Mudder

They bill themselves as “Probably the Toughest Event on the Planet.”  According to their website: “Tough Mudder events are hardcore, 10-12 mile obstacle courses, designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie.  With the most innovative courses, half a million inspiring participants, and more than $3 million raised for the Wounded Warrior Project, Tough Mudder is the premier adventure challenge series in the world.”

While the goal is to finish the race, there’s a lot of fun involved as well and Tough Mudder recognizes those who go out of their way to make the race as entertaining as possible.  There are awards for Toughest Mullet, Toughest Mohawk, Best Costume, Least Clothing, and our personal favorite, Most Likely To Have Been In The Village People.

Hatch’s Eric Becher participated in the Minnesota Twin Cities Tough Mudder race this past weekend in Somerset, Wisconsin.  We thought we’d get his thoughts on the event.

Posing with his teammates, Eric is in the back row, fourth from the left.

Was this your first Tough Mudder? 

Eric- Yes this was my first, as it was for everyone on my team.

What got you involved?

Eric- It was after I ran the half marathon in Kansas City Half Marathon, Lori (Malett) and others pushed and motivated me to do something else.  My buddy Jim asked me, so I signed up and began training for this new challenge.

What was the toughest obstacle?

It’s tough to say, but probably Everest as they call it…you run up a full half pipe and rely on someone to catch you as you leap for their hand to pull you up.  I made it up the first try with a guy who caught my arm as I lept.  Others not so lucky.  I saw three people run up and face plant after leaping to be caught.

It was the most intimidating because from the ground level looking up at it…it looks like Everest.  At this point in the race we were already 9 miles in and our shoes and clothes were covered in mud.  It almost seemed impossible to get up it.  I cut my arm up bad on that one   The worst part though was running for a mile and half up monster hills, and running on all logs and sticks.

Did you help any of your fellow runners throughout the race or did any of them stop to help you?

On Everest I helped four people.   Like many others, I hung over the half pipe with my arms extended and grabbed the people leaping and pulled them up.  To be honest, the whole race is about helping one another the whole time.  You can’t make it without the help of others no matter how tough you are.  The motto of the run is not about your time, but it’s all about helping your fellow mudders.  I developed a severe cramp in my calf at mile nine and I needed two people to help me for about half mile until it loosened up again.

The shock treatment, what was that like?

They had two Electric Eels as they called them during the race.  I was shocked in the crawl space of one and all I can say is it feels like a jolt going through your body like no other.   Then you black out for a couple seconds and then you are right back up and ready to rock.  My friend, Andrea, got it the worst.  At the end, she got hit by one with 10,000 volts.  It hit her in the side of the face.  She crumbled like a ton of bricks and didn’t get up for a couple of seconds.  She hit a rock on way down and was bleeding everywhere…fun right??

Was it tougher than you thought it would be or about what you expected?

The obstacles I felt were the easy part, I know it sounds crazy but they were.  The hills and the running through the worst terrain I have ever seen was just down right brutal.  If anyone wants to do this and is training, all I will tell them is run up the biggest hills you can find for hours at a time non-stop.  They brought people to their knees and to the hospital.  More broken bones, twisted ankles and people passing out from the heat, than from the running the obstacles themselves.

So how did the team do? 

We all finished and there is not one of us that could have done it alone.   Everyone at some point needed another team member to pick them up or motivate them to keep them going.

For more info on Tough Mudder, check out their website: http://toughmudder.com/

Run Like A Mother

Hatch’s Lori Malett and RyAnn Vassallo participated in Run Like a Mother this Mother’s Day Weekend.  The event took part in Hoyt Park in Wauwatosa.  The run consists of a 5K women’s only race with a 1 mile kid’s run.

Lori Malett and RyAnn Vassallo with her daughters Isabella and Anna

Celbrating Mother’s Day and staying fit there was also a great post race event.

No doubt the origin of the race stems from the popular book, Run Like a Mother, How to Get Moving and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity by Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea.  (Sarah Shea has since contacted me and informed me that while she appreciates the mention, the book and race are separate entities.)

Get moving!

The Wellness Boot Camp Challenge

 Hatch has been taking part in a Wellness Boot Camp at the WAC (Wisconsin Athletic Club).  We decided to get some photos and some thoughts on the whole process.

Instructor Jason

So how did this whole thing get started?  Leigh explains; “The Wellness Boot Camp evolved when Lori and I met with Ian Casmer (Manager for the Wisconsin Athletic Club) back in February.  We were originally looking to learn more about the WAC’s Corporate Wellness Program and different things we would possibly utilize internally at Hatch in 2012.  As we were meeting, ideas were being tossed around when the idea of an internal Boot Camp was discussed.  Lori then suggested it would fun to compete against other clients in the Milwaukee area similar to the “Fittest Executive” the WAC sponsors.  The MMAC (Metro Milwaukee Area Chamber) was also pushing for a stronger Wellness Program and was heavily involved with the Well City Milwaukee program and also members of the WAC.  Ian felt MMAC would jump on board with the boot camp challenge as they did!”

Each of the participants was evaluated through several tests:

Resting Heart Rate

Active Heart Rate

Flexibility

Hand Grip

Chest Press

Body Fat

At the end of the Boot Camp each of the participants will be evaluated along the same lines and the group that has the highest percentage of improvement will be declared the winner.

Although weight loss will almost certainly occur, that’s not the end goal.  That having been said, we asked Kristin if she could feel a difference after the first 5 weeks.  “Definitely.  I feel like I’m in better shape and I’ve certainly changed some of my eating habits.  I’m starting to plan a whole week’s meals in advance so that I can stick to the new diet.”

And while Julie hasn’t noticed much of a difference physically, the program has made her take a look at her dietary habits.  “I have really tried to vary my diet – I normally tend to eat the same thing all time but I have been changing things up a bit.”

Leigh adds, “I’ve been a consistent runner in the past (3 to 5 miles several times a week) but joining this Boot Camp has utilized muscles I never knew I had!  I’m hoping the soreness will eventually end and will hopefully see a difference in my strength.  I’m more committed to a different type of work out – especially changing from a late night run to early mornings which I feel has made me feel better throughout the day!  I still need to eliminate some of the sugar in my diet but have definitely made some positive headway adding more fruits / vegetables each day along with healthier overall meals.”

Besides varying workouts and diets, the participants are also looking at the way they approach a workout.  Kaitlin adds, “I think one of the biggest things I have changed and been more aware of is my stretching.  I have always worked out a lot with no regard to stretching.  I make it a point to stretch before and after I work out.”

The workout changes each week.  The group has already been through several including Treading, Cardio-Boxing and Tabata, which is high intensity interval training.  This week was PiYo, a cross between Pilates and Core training with a whole lot of Yoga thrown into the mix.

In addition to the new workout each week, the group is also given a specific dietary challenge.  This week the challenge is to cut out all canned foods, no doubt to lead the group to make fresher food choices.

Check back in a few weeks to see how the Hatch team fared in the challenge.  After the challenge they may be up for a drink as alcohol was the first thing they had to cut out for the duration of the program.