How can a person average 80,000 steps in a day?

[prc1977]

I don't mean to call anybody out or question somebody's integrity but there are fitbit users who average better than 75K steps a day over the course of a week. Assuming they get eight hours of sleep, that means they're walking almost 40 minutes each hour every hour of the day unless they're asleep. Every day for a week.

It is possible that they're running or training for a marathon or walking really fast or are really really into this walking thing but it seems like it is too much. Any way you do the math, it is an incredible amount of walking and it is sustained over the entire week.

What's the most anyone has ever walked in a day? How about in a week? 

I wonder what it would be like if I got up at five am and walked all day until midnight? Doing the math, it would theoretically be possible to break 100k but I don't think I could get anywhere near that. And 80k a day for a week seems too much too.

What do you think?

Moderator edit: Clarified subject. 

[Shakira]

It's  almost impossible. I made my  first 25000 in 1 day. I had to walk all day pretty much at work, walk to the grocery  store ,  did 1.5 hours on the treadmill and danced around my house for 

another hour....oh and i did some house work too. I am exhausted .  I average 5000 to 6000 per hour on the treadmill. To make 80000 i would have  to walk about 16 hours per day at 3.2 on the treadmill. It just doesn't  seem possible. Granted I  joined a walk challenge, on average I walk any where from 15 to 18000 a day, and that is making a conscious decision to move. 

[Ash101]

Are any of them thru hikers?

[TomVenuto]

Ash 101 wrote:  "Are any of them thru-hikers?"

This!^ 

Someone thru-hiking, fast-packing or ultra-running the Appalachian trail or PCT for a speed record could average 80,000 a day for an extended period (couple months). Google Scott Jurek or Scott Williamson or Heather (Anish) Anderson or David Horton or Cam Honan

[paso]

Re thru hikers and others with extraordinary adventures congrats to them

BUT, let's remember meeting our individual goals is just as praise worthy

  Pats on the back to all us. Happy trails☀

[paso]

Thanks for sharing how much goes into getting high steps for the non elite fitbitters.

Congrats. Happy trails☀

[Limeberryjoe]

I walked 80k +Thursday this week...it took 12.5hrs of continuous walking. This was my personal record...dark when I started...dark when I finished...hope this helps

[SunsetRunner]

U walk for 12.5 hrs straight without stoping . When do u have time to eat and stuff. Thats a lot of time out of the day 

[QueintonT]

Yeah you can do that. But is 80k your average? Are you doing that every day?

[Shakira]

Awesome

[paso]

Hi limeberryjoe,  how long was your recovery time from the 12.5 hour walk?  ☀Happy trails

[Owlypowly]

I think they are either cheating or completely insane.

[paso]

Sometimes and sometimes there is a backstory that explains things.  Generally great results require great results.  Meanwhile, ☀Happy trails

[TheKetoGoddess]

The same place you're reading your numbers.  I have seen extremely high numbers, and it IS the average of the last seven days.

I asked someone specifically who consistently averaged 60-70K steps.  He was a mailman and on Saturdays he facilitated tours for seven hours.

In that context, it makes sense.  Conceivably, if you can walk 1000 in 10 minutes; 60 min = 6000; 8 hours worth of work = 48k steps. All of this in addition to their regular movements outside of work, or goodness forbid they actually workout too.

Just a thought.

[paso]

Great you have a job that gives you a healthy step level and get paid for it...tho probably not enuf.

Hope the awful weather is too much.☀happy trails

[prc1977]

I think the person who explained how they got that high number (less than 80k) hinted at why it is so hard to accomplish a super high average. A mailman who walks eight hours a day and gets to approx. 50,000 steps each day (including on Saturday when she does something else) gets home from work and knocks out another 30,000 steps which by your calculation is another five hours of steady walking. That gets her to 80,000 today. And that's one day. To average that our mail carrier has to do it every day, for seven straight days, for weeks on end. If she only does 70,000 on Sunday because she has to go to the shoe store and they won't sell her shoes while she is scurrying around, her average drops to 78,000. Just imagine if she tried to watch a football game or stop moving.

[Owlypowly]

I have done 80,000 steps in a day before but I literally did not sit down all day and there is no way I could do that consistently every single day.  I think even 40,000 is excessive to do on a daily basis.

[Snowball97]

I have an app, RALLY, that post public "challenges," and the winners are always people that claim to have walked/ run 30 miles a day, consistently. Some, for as many as a 14 day challenge. My average steps vary from 18,000 to 22,000 per day, with my best day being 32,000 steps. That would be less than half of the winner's mileage, and they claim these results consistantly for 14 days! It's not one or two people, it's everyone that places first. That seems highly unlikely.

[Al_fit]

What is the average number of steps per day for people 60 and over?

[USAF-Larry]

Don't know that there are any Average people over 60, @Al_fit, so it is hard to tell how many steps they would get. But, I'm pretty sure it isn't near 80K steps a day.  I'm over 70 and average somewhere in the 15K to 20K steps a day, don't remember what I did in my 60's.... 

[Colinm39]

@Al_fitHere is the sample of the statistical spread of the Fitbit population for 55-64 and 65 and over. @USAF-Larry is in the last bar on both. Well done.. I'm in my late 70's and still moving after a total hip replacement.  Thanks Fitbit for 5+ years of goal setting... and giving us a tool to keep active....