Getting in shape at a Rapid pace
One who is proactive with staying in peak physical condition year-round might go for a run before or after work. Others might choose to lift weights. The staff at RapidView LLC has recently added biking, swimming and training for triathlons to that mix.
Since last summer, employees at RapidView, a supplier of pipeline inspection equipment have been putting in some serious workout time through a new, company-sponsored fitness program. For more than half of the company’s staff, running, swimming and long bike rides have become routine as they train for sprint triathlons, half-century bike rides and the occasional 5-k.
RapidView, based in the small town of Rochester, Ind., was founded in 1991 as a small pipeline contracting firm, then-known as R&R Visual. The company was started by president and CEO Rex Robison while he was still in high school. In 2004, the company split and “RapidView” began focusing on the sale of pipe inspection equipment. Today, the company is a leading supplier of high-quality, high-production cameras, software and sewer pipe rehabilitation robotics for sewer, water, industrial and other pipeline inspection for the North American market. RapidView partners with some of the oldest, largest and most advanced manufacturers of pipe inspection products, namely IBAK Helmut Hunger GmbH & Co. of Kiel, Germany.
Last summer, 13 of the company’s 21 employees were inspired to start a fitness program and get in shape, following in the footsteps of one of their co-workers. It all started when Andy Melton, Northeast sales manager at RapidView, was preparing for an Ironman Triathlon. With so much of his spare time devoted to training, other RapidView employees couldn’t help but take notice.
Melton said before he began the initial training that led up to him preparing for the Ironman event, he did a lot of motorcycle riding as a hobby. Realizing that activity was contributing to a lack of exercise, he wanted to do something that would be more proactive and beneficial to his health and started a workout regimen, incorporating running, swimming and biking. Melton made significant progress and competed in a Half-Ironman event — a 1.2-mile swim, followed by a 56-mile bike ride and finishing with a 13.1-mile run.
After competing in the Half-Ironman, Melton kept working his way up, training for a full Ironman, which includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a full marathon (26.2 miles) to the finish. Melton said his training for the Ironman became very intense as he was often doing two sets of workouts each day, which often included swimming more than a mile each time out, running five to eight miles on evenings during the weekdays and biking 30 to 40 miles at a time.
“It was very tough and just took up a lot of time,” he said. “A Half-Ironman is probably more of a realistic goal for the average person.”
Unfortunately, the Ironman never happened for Melton as he got injured during training and chose not to enter the event. But it was during his training that other RapidView employees became motivated to start getting in shape. The fitness kick soon intensified to the point where the goal became to compete in a local Sprint Triathlon – essentially an even more condensed version of an Ironman.
“People saw what everyone was doing and more and more people got involved,” said Rex Robison. “There was definitely a competitive aspect to it. There were some people who hadn’t even done much swimming since high school.”
In June, the RapidView Triathlon team members each successfully completed their first Sprint Triathlon, the Manitou Monster Triathlon held in Rochester, consisted of a 400-m swim, 13-mile bike ride and a 5-k run. Twelve employees and their family members took on the challenge and each team member completed the course with many exceeding their own personal performance goals.
“Everyone works well as a team,” Robison said. “I think people have enjoyed the camaraderie and sharing that experience of training and competing together and gaining self-confidence.”
Since so many people got involved, the company decided to sponsor employees for the events and pay entry fees. The team ended up competing in six events last year, according to Robison and has another six planned for 2013 including half-century bike rides (50 miles), a 5-k and two Sprint Triathlons. Part of the reason the company chose to sponsor employees in triathlons and other events is the charity aspect, and Robison said RapidView chooses to collectively enter the events that benefit charities, such as United Way and Habitat for Humanity. The team also competed in an event that benefitted Homes for Haiti, an organization that provides refurbished houses and shelter for families in Haiti whose homes were devastated by the 2010 earthquake.
“We’re a very rural community and we typically pick events that benefit particular organizations,” Robison said. “Some of our employees have family members who are already involved with some of these charities. Two of our triathlons are also sponsored by the high school [in Rochester] and the proceeds of the event go to the school’s athletic program.”
For the most part, the overall health benefits of the triathlons and other events seem to be what’s most appealing to the team’s efforts. According to Melton, the majority of the staff at RapidView has reached the age where taking your health seriously is very important.
“Rex [Robison] really spearheaded this thing from the top down, and I think that’s how many of us got involved,” he said. “When you think of a bunch of sewer guys, you don’t think of people who are in great shape since we’re always at the office. It’s easy to get into unhealthy patterns, and the next thing you know, you’re 65 years old and 300 lbs. Now, a lot of mornings, we get up and ride or go swimming together.”
The RapidView team is looking forward to another year of competition, trying to get more people involved in the program. The company even has plans to build a new workout room at the company’s facility in Rochester. Who knows, if the pipeline industry doesn’t work out, the team might have a future in distance running or even cycling. After all, they’re only one Tour de France shy of passing Lance Armstrong in the record books.Last summer, 13 of the company’s 21 employees were inspired to start a fitness program and get in shape, following in the footsteps of one of their
co-workers.
Andrew Farr is an assistant editor for Trenchless Technology.