At Hennessey, Thames & Leavitt Insurance, employees get paid to exercise. 

No, they don’t get a $5 bill for every five-second crunch, but Don Thames does pay for his workers to participate in the three major races that Vicksburg annually hosts — Over the River Run, Chill in the Hills and A Run Through History.

It’s all a part of the wellness program Thames and his partners started to get people out of the office and into the gym to support a healthier lifestyle for him and his employees.

“The office pays for everyone who wants to participate in it as part of a wellness program to encourage people to come out and walk,” Thames said. “We’re not at 100 percent. We have some who still won’t participate even though I pay for it, but it’s a fun thing. We’ve got a lot of involvement.”

A team of six participants from Hennessey, Thames & Leavitt braved the chilly conditions to walk and run in Chill in the Hills Saturday, donning matching blue jerseys with a slim neon clover leaf on the chest. All six placed in their respective divisions, with Margaret Thames — the only runner of the group — placing second in the 20-24 age group with a 1:04:33 time in the 10K race.

“I love it because I’m challenging myself and it’s getting me back in shape. Usually I run (the races) with my dad, and I love that because he keeps me running the whole race,” she said. “Training for a half-marathon, I’m doing it with a friend, and it’s just a good way to keep me accountable, running and staying in shape.”

Thames’ husband Jared grew up playing football and soccer, so transitioning from the scorching sprints of summer two-a-days to the more measured pace of a marathon walk was something he had to get used to.

“I played sports my whole life so I’m just getting into the walking thing. My first race was Over The River Run,” he said. “We did Over The River Run just a couple of weeks ago and it was fun, so why not keep doing it?”

The younger Thames finished first in his age group with a 5K walk time of 43:23, while fellow teammates Mary Pat Wright and Amy Scott also placing in the 5K walk on the women’s side.

Secretary Kelley Sanders, who the group described as the most competitive and best walker of the bunch, won the Masters division with a total walk time of 36:31.

“I like walking, getting exercise and seeing all the people, and competing,” she said. “It really only takes one person to get going. It’s like, OK, let’s do a race, and the next thing you know we’re doing all the events.”

But the commemorative chili bowls the group received for their respective wins is but a nice reward for a job well done. The elder Thames admits nobody in the office is really concerned with their times at the end of the day.

They’re just thankful to be a part of the symbiotic relationship between employer and employee that encourages staying fit and exercising.

“It’s a good benefit both ways. We have a lot of long-term employees. We care about our people and we want them to be healthy and not be sick and miss days from work. It’s a trade-off,” Thames said.

“We’re not trying to win races. We’re just trying to get people from a camaraderie standpoint and a fellowship standpoint, really just try to get people to exercise and walk.”