The Race Around Australia guidelines are for schools to apply when participating the race. Please remember that this is a challenge, not a competition and the challenge is to be ‘more active, more often’. Emphasis should be placed on encouraging regular participation as part of the school day.
RAA activity is tracked differently to 10 week Challenge (10wC) activity. In RAA, activity can only be recorded if it has been done with the class teacher/team manager as part of a structured activity. This can be part of a lesson, an energiser, thinking while moving lesson, or as organised before/after school or lunchtime activity (e.g. morning run club). So long as it is measurable in terms of time at the moderate to vigorous level or there is a distance completed. Whilst activity in the 10wC can include activity done without teacher supervision, in RAA it is not included. Activity done at home/outside of school is not included for RAA.
Guidelines and recommendations:
- Students can log any huff and puff physical activity as long as it is organised or planned and can be verified by the teacher. These may include class energisers, before/after school and lunchtime fitness/sport clubs, morning community 'spark' activities.
- PE/sport - can be included where activities are moderate to high intensity (activity that makes you huff and puff) and are quantifiable by measuring the distance or through using our conversion calculation charts. For example running 1km at the start of a lesson, playing a Fast start game, or using a RAA workout as a fitness infusion to inject a bout of huff and puff into a lesson.
- Students can participate in any kind of activity to accumulate kms for RAA, the more variety the better! Our resources page has a range of activities which is updated regurlarly. The Fast start activities can be used as a morning 'spark' activity or to start a PE lesson.
- RAA is built on the evidence-based framework called the SAAFE principles for physical education:
Supportive - teachers are supported to implement physical activity opportunities and students are supported to engage in PA through engaging activities and links to curriculum.
Active - activities should be varied, moderate-vigorous intensity and include all students.
Autonomous - using our ‘design your own workout’ cards to encourage students choice and autonomy. Allow students to choose their own music when completing class RAA workouts.
Fair - following our guidelines ensures a level playing field and fairness for all involved in the program.
Enjoyable - participants will want to take part in activities they find enjoyable. Asking students what interests them and counting that to RAA will enhance their engagement.
How to accumulate RAA kms
Activity is tracked in RAA kms. This can be done in three main ways.
- Distance activities - 1 km of running, jogging or walking is 1 RAA km. This distance/time can be recorded and individuals strive improve in subsequent runs.
- participants may be given a set distance to achieve (e.g. 2 km) in their own time
- participants may be given a set time to achieve the greatest distance
- Timed activities - a general rule is that 5 minutes of moderate to vigorous (huff and puff) activity = 1 RAA km. A conversion chart is being created to help team managers convert activity into RAA kms.
- Prescribed activities - these are resources that have been provided by the PSC and have a set RAA km value. You can use these as a guide to create your own workouts or to increase autonomy, students can create their own.