Your 8-step guide to running a fair and engaging step challenge

Running a step challenge is a fantastic way to bring people together, encourage healthy activity, and spark some friendly competition. But as with any competition, the question of fairness can arise. One concern we hear often is: What if people cheat?

Typically step challenges rely on data synced from personal devices, but manual entry can be added for flexibility. Even when manual entry is blocked, there’s always the possibility that results may not fully reflect participants’ actual effort. Some might record extra steps by shaking their phone, attaching their device to a pet, or other tricks to stimulate movement that don’t reflect actual steps. While no system is completely foolproof, there are practical ways to minimize cheating and keep the spirit of your challenge intact.

Communicate the spirit of the challenge

The most powerful tool you have is communication. From the very beginning, make fairness a theme in your promotional materials. Clearly state that the purpose of the challenge is to build health, camaraderie, and fun. “Winning” is not the point. Remind participants that honesty is expected and that results are meant to reflect genuine effort.

You can also share inspirational stories or quotes that emphasize integrity and teamwork. By setting the right tone early, most participants will be less likely to even consider bending the rules.

Make cheating less attractive

One way to discourage inflated results is to design your challenge so that only consistent, balanced activity wins. For example, reward participation streaks, team averages, or improvement over personal baselines instead of total steps alone. This makes it harder for someone to game the system without putting in real effort. MoveZenGo offers a variety of challenges specifically designed to encourage consistency and teamwork over raw volume.

Define expectations up front

When launching the challenge, outline what counts as acceptable activity and what doesn’t. For example, clarify that steps recorded by a tracker should represent genuine walking or running, not mechanical movements. Encourage participants to wear their devices during all activities so that step counts are consistent and transparent.

Take advantage of MoveZenGo features that encourage fair play

When creating your event, MoveZenGo offers several features that help keep your event fair for everyone. These include:

• Turning off manual entry - When creating your event, you can choose to globally permit or deny the ability for participants to manually enter data. With manual entry turned off, the MoveZenGo app will even detect and block indirect manual entries – for example, manual entries made in Fitbit or Apple Health that sync in the background. As an administrator, you can still make exceptions on a case-by-case basis if needed, like if a participant doesn’t have a tracking device or life simply gets in the way.
• Enabling speed/pace validation - This feature makes sure that people’s activities are realistic. When enabled, someone who tracks a bike ride for one hour but never got out of bed will never see that activity in the results. The same is true if they that “cycling” happened while driving in a car for the hour on a traffic free highway.
• Duplication checking - For all events, we do our best to make sure people don’t get credit for the same activity twice. If people use two different step trackers at the same time, for example, we’ll only give credit to one, whichever reported the highest result for that day.
• Analyzing reports - MoveZenGo offers a powerful suite of reports that can be used to spot unusual patterns in participant activity.

Keep an eye on the data

Speaking of unusual patterns, here are some examples to look for.

• Outliers: Some people might naturally log 15,000–20,000 steps per day. Any numbers far beyond that could warrant a closer look.
• Consistency shifts: If someone jumps from a baseline of 2,000 steps per day to 40,000 every single day without variation, that’s a signal worth questioning.
• Unrealistic spikes: When there is more systematic manipulation of the data, you could focus this effort on people who regularly record an unrealistic number of steps or points (e.g., 60,000+)

Compare to past activity

The whole point of your event (and for MoveZenGo’s existence) is to get people moving more. Recording more activity while an event is going on is natural. In most cases, however, someone who historically walks 3,000 steps per day will not be able to suddenly sustain 50,000 steps per day for the duration of a challenge. Many participants’ devices store historical data that allow you to compare current activity to past trends. A sudden and extreme increase may indicate manipulation. While this won’t always give you a clear answer (some people genuinely do change their habits!), it can help you decide whether to investigate further.

Approaches to suspected cheating

If you do suspect irregularities, there are different ways to respond, and your choice should reflect your organization’s culture:

• Subtle, public reminders: Share a general announcement about fair play and how the system can detect manipulation in the Event Feed. Sometimes simply letting participants know that you’re watching is enough to discourage cheating.
• Direct conversation: Reach out privately to participants whose data looks unusual. Often, a misunderstanding or device error may explain odd numbers.
• Cultural framing: In some organizations, humor works. In others, a direct and serious message is more effective. Tailor your approach to what your participants will respond to best.

Keep perspective

It’s worth remembering that the vast majority of participants will play fair. A small number may push the limits, but focusing too much on rule enforcement can hurt the fun of the event. Your goal is to encourage activity and connection, not to run a forensic investigation. Keep the emphasis on positivity, encouragement, and shared achievement.

Conclusion

Perfect fairness in step challenges may not be possible, but with thoughtful planning, clear communication, and a focus on fairness, you can minimize the likelihood of participants cheating. By shaping the culture of your challenge, watching for obvious outliers, and addressing concerns respectfully, you’ll give participants every reason to engage honestly. After all, the real prize in activity challenges isn’t just winning—it’s the healthier, more active habits everyone builds along the way.

Ready to start your next corporate fitness challenge? Schedule a call today.