shape but actually encouraging them to clock up more of those vital "cardio'' miles.

For those of its members who have become bored with slogging on the treadmill, straining on those oars, or tired of cycling to nowhere, The Athletic Club has devised the Trans-Africa Cardio Challenge 1995.

For a five-week period, fitness awareness has taken on a fun angle, with members "travelling'' through five separate sections of the continent of Africa.

Starting at Port Alexandria, they row up the River Nile, across the vast Sahara Desert, battle their way through the rain forests of the Congo, over the heights of Mount Kilimanjaro and down the long road to Cape Town at the tip of South Africa.

With prizes awarded for each section completed, overall finishers of the course gain an extra 90 cardio miles, and become eligible for a prize draw.

Each participant keeps a Travel Journal on which they list their performance.

But part of the fun entails the prior spinning of the Travel Conditions Wheel, to find out the travelling conditions of the day and which can reward or penalise the intrepid traveller.

For instance, if you crash into a hippo, repairs to your "boat'' will cost 1,000 metres and capture in a "whirlpool'' will cost you ten percent of that day's travel -- unless you are prepared to do 50 jumping jacks. A lucky spin, however, will catch you a fast current, adding an extra ten percent on the day's total travel or, on the road south, you manage to draft behind a bus and also gain ten percent in time.

Hazards on Mount Kilimanjaro include altitude sickness which knocks you back ten percent, and if you lose your climbing gear, it's backtracking for one mile.

Perhaps the most innovative touch is the aerobics class, set the evocative sounds of live African drums.

Members may use any mode of "transport'' through each section, including rowing machines, treadmills, Stair Masters, stationary cycles or aerobics.

Use of the specified transport for each section earns bonus miles but is not mandatory.

The fitness instructors are transformed into "tour guides'' who record daily progress on members' individual maps and specifying mode of transport.

For the really dedicated traveller, there are challenging short cuts that may be taken to earn extra points.

Every participant receives a survival kit, which includes a Trans-Africa T-shirt, rice cakes, Evian water and protective sun products, donated by the gym and local companies, who are also donating the raffle prizes.

"Everyone seems to be finding it great fun,'' says managing director, Mrs.

Kym Burns. "We even have our members' lounge decorated with African artifacts and photographs from Lloyd Webbe's safaris.'' The annual in-house event, which has a different concept each year, was devised by fitness promotions co-ordinator, Mr. Chris Walker.

"He has master-minded the whole idea and made the whole thing workable,'' she says.

"When we first began this incentive programme, five years ago, the first person to finish was the winner. But we realised this was not really the aim of the exercise, so now we encourage people, most importantly, to actually finish the course. That's why sponsors have donated lots of little gifts to encourage them to carry on, with two main prizes draws for each section.'' A total of 65 people are taking part, and with two more weeks to go, everyone, says Mrs. Burns, is "hanging in there.''