Every August, runners and walkers fill the streets of downtown Manchester to compete in the state’s largest road race and largest corporate team-building exercise. The Delta Dental Elliott Corporate Road Race 5K will be held on Thursday, Aug. 8 at 6:30 p.m., and is currently recruiting captains to field teams representing businesses from all over New Hampshire.
The captain is responsible for promoting the race internally, recruiting the team, and getting everyone ready to run or walk. All participants will have the opportunity to raise money before the race to support Elliott’s Solinsky Cancer Treatment Center.
Good for employees’ health…
Corporate wellness programs contribute to the bottom line. Research shows that wellness programs can help reduce healthcare costs, increase productivity, increase retention, lower stress levels, improve morale, and more. A Harvard University meta-analysis found that “every dollar spent on health programs reduces medical costs by approximately $3.27, and absenteeism costs decrease by approximately $2.73 for every dollar spent.”
Tom Raffio, president and CEO of Northeast Delta Dental, not only sponsors the event, but also facilitates employee participation. The company will charter buses for the event, set up tents at the race venue, and bring in food.
Raffio believes the event will be a positive for both the employees involved and the business.
“This is part of the wellness culture at Delta Dental,” Raffio says.
Its wellness culture has had a huge impact on the people who live there. “If you look at my employees, they’re going through life-changing experiences,” he says. “Here, several people who could barely run a 5k are now trying to run a marathon,” he says, citing one success story that will culminate in this summer’s Corporate 5K. “One gentleman in customer service lost 150 pounds,” Raffio says. “Now he is scheduled to compete in the Delta Dental Elliott Race in August.”
Dr. Greg Baxter, president of Elliot Health System and chief clinical officer of Solution Health, is an accomplished runner and has competed in the Corporate 5K every year but one since 2003. He was an emergency room staff member in his 2003 and currently an emergency room staff member. The Elliott sub-team of the Emergency Medical Road Runners is still active.
“Training together creates vertical connections with your teammates,” he says.
It’s also an accessible gateway to healthy habits.
“Distance is manageable,” Baxter says. “Within a few months, he can go from sitting on the couch to doing a 5K.”
This event is a company-wide focus for Elliott’s wellness efforts each year. “We have been focusing on promoting road races since the spring,” he says. “It’s a celebration and a festival. As we move into August and the heat of summer increases, we’re ramping it up to the highest pitch.”
…and good for business
Raffio is an avid runner, but as president of Northeast Delta Dental, he is also responsible for the bottom line. He and his company’s board believe his investment in road race sponsorship is a good business strategy.
“Our corporate strategy is to be involved in the community,” he explains. “We sponsor 100 races a year. We literally spend $300,000 a year on road race sponsorship.” It wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t see tangible results from working with race’s fitness culture.
In addition to team-building, race participation is also a brand-building opportunity, demonstrating participating companies’ wellness-oriented culture, community commitment, and support for the Solinsky Center and cancer care. Each race shirt is customized with the team’s company logo.
Race director John Mortimer said 165 companies fielded teams last year. In 2019, before the coronavirus outbreak, 206 teams participated. Mr Mortimer is aiming for the event to return to this figure.
…Good for the captain.
How can companies build dedicated teams like Northeast Delta Dental and Elliott?
“If you have some ambassadors and cheerleaders in your company, it has to happen organically,” Raffio says. “And eventually someone will be the champion within the company.”
One such advocate is Amanda Quinlan, an attorney at McClain Middleton. McClain is also well known for leading large and competitive teams. Quinlan is an excellent runner and triathlete. She ran an incredible time of 17 minutes and 52 seconds in her last year’s race. She also fielded a 33-person team from McLean in the race.
“The great thing about being a captain is that you can see who has signed up from your company,” Quinlan says. You are responsible for preparing the company. If you’re competitive, that’s really great. There are a lot of people there. You network. you are having fun. “
The joy of friendly competition leads to motivation within the company and across different corporate teams. Quinlan said the fast runners on the McClain team looked to the fast runners on other corporate teams. And the 5k has a lot of fast runners vying for the age group championship.
This competition is a strong expression of team bonding, which is further emphasized by the company logo on the race shirt. “From a corporate perspective, we’re very proud,” Baxter says. “BAE, Nixon Peabody, McLain…the team is very dynamic.”
A beloved tradition
Mortimer said the race, which was once known in the state’s running community as the Cigna Elliott Corporate 5K until Northeast Delta Dental stepped in as a sponsor, is in its 31st year. That’s what it means. Mortimer’s company, Millennium Running, took over the race in 2016 and added a charity element. But he was already familiar with the sport, having won it 20 years ago while in college, setting a state record of 14 minutes, 21 seconds. That record stood until last year.
Runners come from far and wide to test themselves on the fast, flat course.
“It attracts a lot of people who aren’t from Manchester,” Mr Quinlan said. “Being not from Manchester, I remember coming a long way as a runner in high school and college because the courses are so fast. It’s a big deal for the country as well.”
