Miles for Medicine in Motion

Six weeks. Seven miles of swimming. Two thousand four hundred miles of biking. Nine hundred five miles of running.

This is the goal Massachusetts General Hospital's Medicine in Motion group hopes to complete by Nov. 29 as part of a virtual team triathlon across the United States.

“Our goal with this triathlon—and the Medicine in Motion group—is to reduce burnout by building community through fitness and philanthropy,” says Logan Briggs, fourth year Harvard Medical School student and co-founder of Medicine in Motion. “With this event, we want to bring together students, nurses, residents, physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists and really anyone and everyone that contributes to patient care.”

The Medicine in Motion group—comprised of medical professionals from throughout the Boston area—was established two years ago by four Harvard Medical School students whose mission was to address medical burnout through fitness, community building and philanthropy.

To step up the drive to complete the miles, Mass General is competing in a friendly competition against the Medicine in Motion team from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital, as well as the global Medicine in Motion team. “Impressively, Mass General has double the number of miles as the other hospitals combined, but it will be a remarkable feat if we are able to keep it that way,” says Briggs.

The Mass General team has currently completed more than 400 total miles, with 104 of those miles completed by Davis Waller, MD, a resident in the Department of Surgery. “This competition is a great opportunity to support others in their fitness and is a way to hold myself accountable for my own,” he says. “Our new reality of physical distancing means that we can’t race, compete or train with each other in person, but these virtual competitions and races are a great way to maintain a sense of community with our colleagues at Mass General.”

There is no team size limit and interested individuals can sign up for free at any time before the Nov. 29 finish date. To sign up, visit the virtual team triathlon webpage and join the Medicine in Motion—Mass General Harvard team.

“Any hospital staff are welcome and encouraged to join,” says Briggs. “We are all one team that contributes to patient care. We all burnout—or don’t—together, and hopefully this can be an outlet to help our medical teams maintain wellness.”