You Said, We Listened: Transforming Offshore Wellbeing Together

First of all, thank you. Thousands of you took part in the RigRun Championship 2026, and hundreds of you took the time to share honest feedback through the post-event survey.

We read every comment, and now, it's time to put those insights into practice so that, with your help, we can reshape the future of offshore wellbeing, offshore fitness, and the wider offshore community.

RigRun is more than a competition. It is a growing movement designed to support offshore wellbeing in one of the most challenging working environments in the world. By combining structured offshore fitness with a connected and supportive offshore community, the programme helps individuals stay active, motivated, and mentally resilient while working offshore.

Below you’ll find the most common themes from your feedback, along with exactly what we are doing in response. Some changes are already underway, others will be in place for Qualifiers in September, and more are planned as we continue to evolve the programme to better support long-term wellbeing in remote and isolated work environments.

This is your programme. Your feedback drives it, and together we are transforming offshore wellbeing across the industry.

Why Offshore Wellbeing Matters More Than Ever

Life offshore comes with unique challenges such as long shifts, isolation, and limited access to facilities. That’s why offshore wellbeing sits at the heart of everything we deliver. By combining offshore fitness with a supportive offshore community, the programme helps you stay active, motivated, and connected.

Improving offshore wellbeing is not just about exercise. It is about building sustainable habits, supporting mental health, and creating a sense of belonging across teams and locations, which all lead to safer, healthier, and more engaged crews.

Improving Offshore Wellbeing Through Better Rewards

YOU SAID: “Getting prizes after was quite stressful. It would be better if each person's prizes were bagged separately and sent to their platform or home address.”

WE LISTENED: We've put together a prize preference form that will go out to every participating team before the next event. Some teams prefer prizes before the competition starts, others want them after. So, from Qualifiers onwards, your team gets to choose. No more blanket approach for everyone.

YOU ALSO SAID: “There weren't enough prizes on the rig. I never received mine from a previous RigRun.”

WE LISTENED: We've sent replacement quotations out to all teams where there was a shortfall, and 90% have already placed their orders. If your prize still hasn't arrived in the next few weeks, please reach out directly and we'll sort it. 

YOU ALSO SAID: “I'm a contractor / third party and I'd moved platforms by the time prizes arrived, so I missed out entirely.”

WE LISTENED: We know contractors move around a lot and timing is tricky. If this happened to you, get in touch and we'll make sure your prize gets bagged up in a named envelope so it doesn't get handed to someone else before you're back on board.

YOU ALSO SAID: “There were never enough large sizes available, and it would help if you asked for preferences before the event starts.”

WE LISTENED: From August onwards, you'll be able to select separate sizes for upper and lower body in the app instead of one blanket size. That's been a long time coming and it's finally here.

Smarter Gear Choices for Offshore Fitness

YOU SAID: “Why does everything have to be crazy colours? The shorts this year were awful and half the prizes go straight in the bin. The fleeces and tops were excellent though.”

WE LISTENED: Okay, the shorts have been pure Marmite this year. Some people were genuinely upset when we ran out and had to replace them with plain ones. Others never want to see them again. You can't please everyone, but we've found a better solution. For the 2027 Championship, we're putting together a shortlist of prize options, and YOU are going to vote for the ones you actually want. After all, RigRun is for you, so watch this space for the vote. 

YOU ALSO SAID: “Stretching and low-impact exercise should be an option in the workout tiles. And please, can we get a proper water bottle?”

WE LISTENED: Both noted and on the list. Stretching and low-impact options are something we're actively looking at for the next event. And yes, a water bottle option will appear on the 2027 prize voting list.

Fair Play in the Offshore Community 

YOU SAID: “The lead guy supposedly averaged 5 hours of working out every day for 6 weeks. The numbers just don't add up. It puts people off taking part altogether.”

WE LISTENED: Tackling data integrity was the very first task we gave our new CTO when they joined the team. From Qualifiers in September, we'll be deploying a new AI validation model inside the app. It will flag superhuman workout times, likely typing errors, and sessions that can't be verified. In those cases, it'll ask for a bit more information before the workout is accepted. We're rolling it out as a Beta, so bear with us while we fine-tune it, but expect a significant improvement from day one.

YOU ALSO SAID: “The Mindfulness category was being abused. People just logged time to get prizes without actually doing anything.”

WE LISTENED: The message is loud and clear on this one. We're removing Mindfulness as a self-logged activity, but don't worry, it's not going away. It's coming back properly as a breathing game built directly into the app, where the time is measured and verified. 

YOU ALSO SAID: “I spent 7 hours skiing up and down a mountain and only got 3 points. The point system doesn't reflect effort or exertion level. Some activities rack up kilometres far more easily than others.”

WE LISTENED: Everyone in RigRun is capped at 3 points per day, based on time spent exercising. The reason for this is to keep the playing field level so that every fitness level and ability can meaningfully contribute to their team. That said, if you're a serious athlete and want to compete at the top level, the individual top 10 leaderboards are there for you. Up to this point, skiing has been included in the Other category, however, due to its increasing popularity in the competition, we will soon be adding skiing/snowboarding as a separate category.

YOU ALSO SAID: “Make it mandatory to link a fitness tracker or require photo verification. Otherwise, people just log whatever they like.”

WE LISTENED: We unfortunately can't make fitness trackers mandatory, as it would exclude people who don't own one or who work in areas where wearables aren't permitted for safety reasons. But our new AI validation system will handle much of the same verification work in the background. We also already integrate with Fitbit and Strava, and Garmin and Apple Watch integration is on the way before January 2027.

App Improvements to Support Whole-Person Wellbeing

YOU SAID: “The app was glitchy and froze. I had to keep logging back in to submit my minutes.”

WE LISTENED: We spotted those too, and our new CTO has made fixing the app bugs their top priority ahead of Qualifiers. We're also overhauling the registration process, which had its fair share of gremlins too. When you take part in September, you should notice a much smoother experience.

YOU ALSO SAID: “The app was slow to upload a workout when I'd finished.”

WE LISTENED: This was likely down to a slow or patchy connection, which we can’t always fix on our end. However, the app also works fully offline and will sync all your workouts automatically once a connection becomes available. So, log it there, and your app will catch up.

YOU ALSO SAID: “Compared to something like Strava, the app feels basic. There's no timeline, no notifications. Knowing someone had just overtaken you in the rankings would spark real competition.”

WE LISTENED: We’re thrilled to say that you’ll see some of this in action at Qualifiers in September. We're adding champion medals to players who've previously won leaderboards. And by Championships 2027, we'll be adding nudge notifications, so you know when someone's closing in on your position. Bring on the rivalry.

Building a Stronger Offshore Community

YOU SAID: “It's not fair to put onshore office workers up against offshore crews. They have access to gyms, no family commitments after shift, and their meals are provided.”

WE LISTENED: We keep offshore and onshore together deliberately, as it helps build a sense of company-wide togetherness and gets on and offshore teams bonding over something shared. But we do hear you on the fairness point, which is why we work hard to keep onshore offices competing against each other in the group stages, rather than immediately putting them up against offshore-based teams.

Sustainable Programme Design for Long-Term Offshore Wellbeing

YOU SAID: “Six weeks isn't long enough - the competition flies by.”

WE LISTENED: We've tried quite a few different programme lengths over the years, and six weeks turns out to be the sweet spot. It’s enough to build real habits without burning out. But we have good news. There's another event in September and October, so the wait isn't long. And in 2027, we're launching an always-on feature, where, in between competitive events, you can play matches against colleagues and keep the momentum going year-round.

YOU ALSO SAID: “RigRun is happening too frequently. The gym fills up with people who don't normally train, which is annoying.

WE LISTENED: Sorry about the gym congestion, genuinely! But getting more people through those gym doors is one of the things we're most proud of. A healthier, fitter, more connected workforce is the whole point, and that means more people, more active, more often.

Prizes with a Purpose

YOU SAID: “I'd rather donate to charity than receive another t-shirt. Could there be an option to give to a good cause instead?”

WE LISTENED: This one might surprise you, but it's already happening. Every time you hit your first prize milestone during a RigRun event, £50 per team is donated to charity. During the 2026 Championship, the proceeds went to the River Dee Trust, which funds tree planting, invasive species removal, and salmon run restoration along the River Dee. So far, RigRunners have raised £20,000 for that initiative. For Qualifiers in September, the charity is The King's Trust , which supports young, disadvantaged people into employment. And the physical prizes themselves are produced with a focus on both environmental and social impact. From funding the collection of ocean-bound plastics in exchange for fair pay and healthcare, to providing work experience for young people at our warehouse.

YOU SAID: “Could prizes include a baseball cap, earphones for the gym, or gloves?”

WE LISTENED: Great minds think alike! The second prize milestone for Qualifiers is a baseball cap and beanie combo (warm head or cool head, we've got you covered). Unfortunately, we can't ship electronics like earphones to remote or high-risk worksites for safety reasons. But gloves are going straight onto the 2027 prize voting list.

Supporting your Mental Health On- and Offshore

Some of you shared things that go well beyond exercise and competition, whether it be family stress, mental health struggles, difficult shift patterns, or serious health events. We want you to know we read every single one of those comments, and we're grateful you felt comfortable sharing them. 

RigRun can't fix everything. We know that. But we believe that movement, community, and motivation to get out of your bunk can make a real difference on your hardest days. If you're struggling with something bigger, please reach out to your company's occupational health or EAP support. You shouldn't have to carry it alone.

And if you had to step away from RigRun this year because of illness or personal circumstances, we hope you're on the road to recovery. There will always be another one, and we can’t wait to welcome you back. 

Keep the feedback coming, folks, and we’ll see you at Qualifiers in September!