The GCC Pedometer

GCC has invested heavily in Research and Development over the past 5 years to design and manufacture the strongest, most accurate and durable pedometer you can own.

The GCC pedometer is one of the hardest working in the world, and it needs to be able to deliver accurate readings while also withstanding the rigours of daily use over the 125 period of the event.

The accuracy of the pedometers is critical. Near enough just isn’t good enough, so, every year, participants receive the culmination of 12 months worth of testing, refinement and new technology. Only after withstanding third party lab testing on its durability and exceeding the GCC accuracy benchmarks, will any GCC pedometer be approved for distribution.

The GCC pedometer combines the principles of equilibrium and inertia, with the technology of digital processing to record your step count. They are precise electronic instruments comprising a mechanical movement sensor, electronic circuit board, LCD display and battery power source (LR1130 alkaline cell battery).

Inside the unit a tiny spring-set horizontal arm moves up and down as you walk, measuring the vertical movement of your hips and activating a motion-sensitive electrical circuit. This measurement is then processed by a software application and displayed on the pedometer’s LCD screen.

GCC pedometers are worn on suits, dresses, jeans, skirts, shorts, tracksuits... they are worn in meetings, at desks, on planes, at the football and around the house... they work flat out for the 125 days of the GCC and they are bumped, thumped, dropped, and stretched.

In response with 5 years feedback from our participants, our testing and development is thorough to ensure the GCC pedometers are strong, lightweight, durable, unobtrusive and discreet.

Let us set an immovable, assured constant. This constant is the actual number of steps you take - it is the absolute physical step count you have taken in any period of time. Now, the fact is pedometers will always have a variance from the constant. When you take 1000 physical steps, your pedometer may record 993. The important thing is that a) your pedometer has as little variance as possible (hence the research and development that goes into every GCC pedometer) and b) if comparing with other walkers and their totals that the variance is the same. You need to measure apples with apples.

That is why all GCC participants wear the same designed, produced and engineered equipment.

Rest assured that any variance you see when manually counting, is irrelevant because what is important is that your count is consistent with all other participants. It’s a level playing (walking) field for all.

Q: How do I wear my Pedometer?

Clip unit to your belt, skirt, slacks or pants on your HIP, ensuring its straight (not on an angle).

Q: How do I take care of my pedometer?

A. Pedometers worn incorrectly such as on the front of the belt buckle increases the risk of damage to the pedometer and incorrect step readings. Care of your pedometer is important.

Q: Is it normal for my daily step count to vary a lot, or to vary from participant to participant?

A. If your step count reading varies from day to day, don't worry, as sometimes this may happen.

Reasons for this are:

• A person's steps vary.
• You may have worn the pedometer in the incorrect position.
• People with more abdominal weight may move the alignment from vertical to more than 20 degrees and hence stopping the pedometer from reading steps.
• The chances of walking the exact steps on multiple days are pretty slim.

Q: What is a 'gait' and how does it affect pedometer readings?

A: Your gait is the way you move your body when you walk. The parameters of an individual's gait are grouped to spatial-temporal (step length, step width, walking speed, cycle time) and kinematic (joint rotation of the hip, knee and ankle, mean joint angles of the hip/knee/ankle, and thigh/trunk/foot angles) classes. All of these factors have an influence on a pedometer’s reading and are the reasons for differences in ‘hypothetically identical steps of two people'. Don’t be surprised if your see your pedometer record different step counts. Different gaits, which hip you wear your pedometer on and pedometer positioning can all result in varying step recordings.

Q: When to wear my pedometer?

Ideally your pedometer should be with you at all times, and taken off before you go to sleep. You may then record your steps every 24 hours. As little as 250 steps a day over the course of a challenge equals 17km/10.5 miles per person or 118km/73 miles per team. This is significant.