Hilltop Pacers Finish First in The Great Circulation Challenge for PAD
Nearly 7,000 Miles Walked for PAD Awareness
What started as a PAD walking challenge became something much bigger for Hill Vascular & Vein Center.
Throughout September, our staff, former team members, medical students, interns, patients, family members and friends joined together as the Hilltop Pacers for The Great Circulation Challenge, an initiative of the Global PAD Association.
By the end of the month, our 62-member team had logged an incredible 6,943.5 miles—finishing #1 overall in the challenge and #1 among OBL/ASC/Clinic teams.
We are incredibly proud of that accomplishment.
But the number of miles was never really the point.
For us, the most meaningful part of the challenge was getting people talking about peripheral artery disease (PAD).
Why We Walked
When we joined The Great Circulation Challenge, we weren’t raising money. Participation was free. The goal was awareness.
The Global PAD Association created the challenge around a fascinating concept: the human circulatory system contains approximately 60,000 miles of blood vessels, and participants around the world were invited to collectively walk that distance during PAD Awareness Month. The challenge brought together patients, physicians, healthcare professionals, caregivers, families and others interested in vascular health.
Learn more about The Great Circulation Challenge
For Hill Vascular & Vein Center, the mission was particularly meaningful because we see firsthand how misunderstood PAD can be.
PAD affects the arteries that carry blood to the limbs, most commonly the legs. Symptoms can include leg cramping, aching, heaviness or fatigue with activity, cold feet, numbness, discoloration and wounds that are slow to heal.
Those symptoms can be easy to attribute to something else and that’s exactly why we wanted people talking about them.
Nearly 7,000 Miles—and Countless Conversations
Over the course of September, something interesting happened. We invited a ton of people to walk with us. People would ask us why we were walking so much.
That simple question gave us an opportunity to explain PAD. Then we started hearing responses like, “My uncle has something like that.” or “My brother has been having those symptoms. I’ll tell him to talk to his doctor.”
Those moments became one of our favorite parts of the challenge.
PAD awareness doesn’t require everyone to become an expert in vascular disease. Sometimes awareness simply means knowing enough to recognize that persistent leg pain, changes in the feet or a wound that won’t heal may deserve another look.
The Global PAD Association‘s broader mission centers on PAD education, advocacy and helping patients reach appropriate care. That aligns closely with why our team wanted to participate.
It Truly Took a Team
Finishing first would not have happened without an extraordinary group of people willing to get outside and move. We are especially appreciative of our OBL Assistant Manager, Anna, and our PMA Supervisor/Operations Coordinator, MJ for organizing our team and rallying our troops!
Special recognition goes to our Hill Vascular & Vein Center staff who participated: Hannah, Heather, Sandra, Dr. Bradley Hill, Adam, Dane, Anna, Menée, MJ, Vibiana, Lien, Tania, Janelle, Brandon, Nurse Practitioner Yan, Isabella, Rishee and Manasi.
We were also fortunate to have former members of the Hill Vascular family join us. Thank you to our former PMAs, medical students and summer interns: Dr. Meg Hill, Anika, Shringala, RJ, Ani, and Suchita.
And then there were all the people beyond our office who joined the team: our Patients, Spouses, Children, Parents, and Friends.
Every step counted. Some participants logged hundreds of miles. Others contributed a handful. Together, 62 people turned those individual walks into 6,943.5 miles for PAD awareness.
That is what made this accomplishment special.
First Place Is Exciting. Awareness Is the Real Win.
Yes, we’re competitive. And we’ll admit that seeing Hilltop Pacers at #1 on the leaderboard was pretty exciting. But that’s not what we hope people remember about September. We hope they remember the conversations.
PAD remains a condition that many people know little about, even though delayed recognition can have serious consequences. In advanced disease, inadequate blood flow can contribute to non-healing wounds, tissue loss and the risk of amputation. That’s why recognizing possible symptoms and advocating for vascular evaluation when appropriate matters.
If someone heard about our challenge and thought, “That sounds like my dad,” or “Maybe my leg pain is worth asking about,” then the challenge accomplished something much more important than putting our name at the top of a leaderboard.
Keep Walking. Keep Talking.
PAD Awareness Month may be over, but PAD awareness shouldn’t end with September.
Keep moving. Keep talking about vascular health. And if you or someone you love has persistent leg symptoms, a wound that isn’t healing, changes in the feet or concerns about circulation, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Sometimes advocating for yourself starts with something as simple as saying:
“Could this be related to my circulation?”
At Hill Vascular & Vein Center, that is the message we’ll continue sharing long after the last mile of this year’s challenge has been counted.
To every member of the Hilltop Pacers: thank you. You walked, you talked, you educated—and together, you went nearly 7,000 miles for PAD awareness.
See the story behind our walk
Before the challenge ended, Hill Vascular & Vein Center Director of Operations Menée Hill talked about why our team was participating and how walking was opening the door to conversations about PAD.
Watch Menée talk about The Great Circulation Challenge
And if you’d like to learn more about the organization behind the challenge:
The Great Circulation Challenge — Global PAD Association
This article is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.