Airports are enormous (in big cities, anyway), and that’s often what we hate about them. Baggage claim is how far away?? But if you’ve got time to kill, consider using the airport’s vastness to your advantage. Walk the whole damn thing, and time yourself.
Just completed my first #PHLchallenge by walking the entire @PHLAirport loop (no shuttle…that’s cheating) with an official time of 1:04.00 via my @WithingsEN #SteelHR. At 4 miles, it’s a great way to get in your #10000steps and justify that @Smashburger. Next time, under 1hr! pic.twitter.com/EGzQV6dk1D
— Chris Winter, MD (@SportSleepDoc) May 9, 2019
That’s what sleep specialist Chris Winter recently did, traversing the whole Philadelphia airport in just over an hour at a brisk pace. He told us via DM that he does this in other airports too, even challenging others to beat his time:
After my latest #CLTchallenge today, we now have a Top 5 Times List:
1) 42:36 4/15/19 @SportSleepDoc
2) 45:15 4/30/19 @SportSleepDoc
3) 49:50 1/7/19 @SportSleepDoc
4) 1:00:37 1/10/19 @LukeTaylorMN
5) 1:03:22 4/13/19 @amccally01Thanks to @CLTAirport and @WithingsEN! pic.twitter.com/8XJSl72mGn
— Chris Winter, MD (@SportSleepDoc) April 30, 2019
Dr. Winter says he started doing airport walks just to get in his daily steps. “Because I travel a ton, there were days where my only chance to exercise was on a layover,” he says. Then he discovered that the resulting maps (if you use a fitness tracker) look pretty awesome. If you’d like to try the challenge his way, Dr. Winter suggests the following rules:
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No running. No other airport traveller or staff person should be able to know you are doing it. Subtle.
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Must start and end at the same place. It’s a loop, not one end to the other.
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Bags come with. No locker bullshit.
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No shuttles, but motorised walkways are absolutely allowed (although they can backfire when crowded).
The rule about motorised walkways seems ripe for controversy, but he says they’re “like some power up item in Mario Kart.”
Whether you speedwalk your airport or just go for a low-key stroll, walking the whole thing sounds like a great way to get in some exercise and stave off boredom while you wait for your flight to depart.
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