Walking Together: A Look Back at OCR’s 21st Annual Total Joint Surgery Walk
The walk celebrates the health and success our patients have found after joint replacement surgery. What started as a Saturday morning walk along the Spring Creek and Poudre River trails outside our Fort Collins office has grown into a month-long virtual event, allowing patients across Colorado and beyond to participate.
This was our seventh year hosting the walk virtually. Participants walked whenever and wherever they liked, then logged their miles in the free activity-tracking app Strava, where fellow members of the OCR Strava Club could cheer them on.
The 2026 Walk By the Numbers
Based on activity logged in the OCR Strava Club, here’s an estimate of what our walkers accomplished together in September:
- More than 1,200 miles walked
- About 450 hours on their feet
- More than 36,000 feet of elevation gain, higher than Mount Everest
- Roughly 2.5 million steps
- 158 members in the OCR Strava Club
- Walkers in six states: Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, Texas, California and Tennessee
- 300 free T-shirts for registered walkers
Those 1,200 miles are more than two and a half times the length of the Colorado Trail.
A Community That Moves Together
Many walkers logged miles across Northern Colorado, in Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Timnath, Greeley, Milliken and Mead. Others walked in Broomfield and on the trails at Lookout Mountain. Our Nebraska walkers were out regularly in Kimball, Scottsbluff and the Wildcat Hills, and members also checked in from Cheyenne, Houston, Ventura and Tennessee.
Walks came in every size. One walker in California climbed more than 1,000 feet on a single morning walk, while others fit in a lunch walk, an evening stroll or a few laps at work. People logged dog walks, neighborhood loops and a loop around a Loveland lake. One walker even added miles while watching a local cross-country meet.
Our most active walker logged 26 walks in a single week. Most lasted between 20 and 55 minutes, adding up to nearly 35 miles.
Some members walked in pairs or groups, and several posted photos of the fall colors along their routes. One walked a 5K for another cause and thanked a fellow club member in the post.
Why We Walk
For many of our patients, a walk around the neighborhood once caused pain. Walking comfortably again after joint replacement surgery and recovery is a big step, and this event is one way we celebrate that progress with them.
Spouses, friends, kids, grandkids and dogs came along for plenty of these walks. They’re all part of how our patients get back to the activities they love.
Part of How OCR Gives Back
The Total Joint Surgery Walk is one of the ways OCR stays connected to the communities we serve, and it has been part of our calendar for 21 years.
It sits alongside our work with local nonprofits, schools and youth sports. That includes more than 55 years as team physicians for Colorado State University athletics and more than two decades as the official orthopaedic group for the Colorado Eagles.
OCR’s physicians and employees personally fund our community sponsorships and donations. You can learn more about the organizations and events we support on our community events page.
Thank You for Walking With Us
Thank you to everyone who walked with us this year, whether you covered one mile or thirty, on a mountain trail or around your block.
We hope to see you again next September. Until then, keep walking and keep sharing your walks with us.
For more information about OCR, our upcoming events and community involvement, visit our events and community involvement page.