By Vicky Stever
1st Special Operations Force Support Squadron
HURLBURT FIELD - They rode 2,650 miles in 140 hours. When one person tired, another jumped onto the bicycle. No one got sunburned or rained upon or stuck in traffic. That wasn't difficult because the entire grueling journey took place inside a library. It was the Library Fitness Cycle Marathon Challenge at Hurlburt Field, a unique collaboration between the base's library and fitness centers.
Two exercise cycles were stationed in the library's lobby in view of all incoming customers. This sur-prising sight generated speculation and questions, a perfect lead-in to market the unusual event. The initial challenge to customers was to keep a cycle rolling every hour the library was open during a two-week period. Customers were invited to reserve an hour slot on a bike. As part of the local National Li-brary Week celebration, the marathon kicked off on April 14.
Signing up volunteers was not always an easy sell. Staff from the library and fitness centers had agreed to fill-in the gaps between riders which gave them a vested interest in soliciting participation from customers. The goal of accumulating hours didn't inspire many volunteers, but accumulating mileage to reach a destination did catch their imagination. The primary goal changed to cycling 1,149 miles to Can-non Air Force Base, New Mexico, Hurlburt Field's sister base in the Air Force Special Operations Com-mand. The fitness bikes recorded mileage and daily totals were marked on a progress meter, along with the name of the city which had been virtually reached. This visible indicator of success spurred even more interest in helping the library achieve its goals.
To showcase the synergy of library services with a workout activity, participants were encouraged to read or listen to audio books as they cycled. Fitness magazines, newspapers, books and audio books were displayed by the bikes. The library provided MP3 players for riders to test its new downloadable audio book service. Riders enjoyed additional pastimes, too: talking on the phone, visiting with friends, singing along with music, studying for a test, eating lunch, watching cartoons on a phone, working puzzles, even surfing the Internet on one of the library's laptop computers. One afternoon, a keyboardist supplied live music to entertain the cyclists.
All riders were invited to countdown the final minutes of the last ride on April 28. Amid music and cheers, revelers sipped sports drinks from champagne flutes and nibbled heart-healthy cookies as the totals were unveiled. Goals of both mileage and time had been surpassed. The accumulated 2,650 miles took the bikers on a virtual trip to Cannon AFB and back to Hurlburt Field, then to Maxwell Air Force Base near Montgomery, Ala., and back to Hurlburt Field. Because there were time slots in which both bikes were in use, total riding time was 140 hours in a 130-hour period. 66 individuals, representing 22 different military units and Department of Defense civilians, contractors, military retirees and family members, took part. The oldest rider was 76 years old and the youngest was 17 (minimum age to partici-pate was 16 years).
In addition to cultivating new customers and increasing awareness of services, the library received unplanned benefits. Enthusiasm generated by the sense of accomplishment earned customer buy-in, with positive feedback and suggestions for next year's event. The program was a team-building exercise for staff, all eight of whom voluntarily filled vacant time slots to keep the marathon going. Staff and cus-tomers formed close bonds of friendship in the shared endeavor, in no small part due to the good-natured cajolery used to sign up riders. Due to a facility renovation, one of the cycles remained in the library for several months with librarians and customers continuing to ride the bike. Exercising the brain while exercising the body has become part of the local culture of "library fitness."
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