[Sushi Penguin]

I've got a dilemma...

I'm participating in this walking challenge at my school. Basically, you wear a pedometer all day long and then enter the total steps on the internet. I just got an email saying that I had won a prize for having third highest total and average per day step count. It's all cool buuuuut....

Earlier this month I discovered that there is a website which lists the step count of the top five. I think it's supposed to be the main page, but there is some glitch in the coding and it doesn't display on the main page. I'm suspecting that noone knows about this glitch, and that other participants don't know how to find the top five page (I have no idea how I got there!).

Anyhow, after finding out how well I was doing, I decided to try to overtake the leader. I started recording everyone's step count - basically to work out the average step count of the leader to figure out if I could overtake him.

It was going great, I was closing in, until one person entered some over 360,000 steps (that would be at least 250 kms) all at once a few days ago, thus bumping themselves into the lead. This person had been adding their step count every couple days or so, so this is not a cumulative total for a period of time when he might have not entered his step count. I can't help but be a bit suspicious...
It's possible that it's a typo, but in that case it should be rectified and he shouldn't be in the lead... A very intensive cycling trip is the only thing that comes to my mind as a way of getting such a high step count. But who goes on a 250 km bike trip in the middle of the week, as a full-time student (the guy is full time and busy with student groups and so on).

I'm wondering whether to bring this up with the program coordinator... or maybe email the guy and ask him... or just do nothing...? What do you gals think?

Sushi

PS: Yes, I am annoyed that he racked so many steps because he's some 200,000 steps ahead of me now, and now way I can catch up! And I can't deny that I want to win. But it just seems fishy...

[Daisy Boo]

250km is a lot for anyone in a day - even a seasoned cyclist. i would think it is a typo - or something more sinister if they are entering daily otherwise.

i would talk to the leader about it and see what they say. just mention that you stumbled across the page and the entry caught your eye as it was so huge.

what an excellent challenge!

[britomart]

How does a pedometer count distance when cycling? I thought pedometers worked with the "thump" of your feet hitting the ground, to count steps. Wouldn't being on a bike not allow it to do that?

I guess I'd talk to the guy before I talk to the coordinator... But I have no idea what I'd say. I guess I would explore the possibility that it IS a typo before anything else. I wouldn't want the guy to get in trouble for something he didn't intend to do. If he was trying to skew the results and doesn't want to change his totals, then go to the coordinator. Usually in all conflict management situations, you're always told to try to deal with the trouble between yourselves before approaching an authority figure...

Congrats on getting 3rd!

[Sushi Penguin]

Thanks gals

Update...
The guy made a typo and he's now not entering any steps until he makes up the typo. I'm fine with that.

What I'm not fine with is that he still got the 1st prize - even though he entered a wrong number and notified the coordinator. They should only give prizes based on what his step count really was, me thinks.