Walk Kansas 2015 has wrapped up across the state! This team based, eight week healthy lifestyle challenge is sponsored by K-State Research and Extension. Co-workers, family members, friends and neighbors join together in teams of six who track their minutes of physical activity and food choices during the course of the program. Each teams identifies a goal, or challenge, it wants to reach. Three challenges are offered. Challenge 1 is equal to the distance across the state, equivalent to four hundred and twenty three miles or 6,345 minutes of exercise. To reach Challenge 2two, the team must go across the state and back, equivalent to eight hundred and forty six miles or 12,690 minutes of exercise. Challenge 3 takes the team 1200 miles around the perimeter of the state. Members report their exercise as well as fruit and vegetable consumption to their captain, who submits a team total each week. All team’s progress are recorded weekly on www.walkkansas.org. Friendly competition can be motivating!
Rawlins County had twenty one participating teams in 2015, with a total of one hundred and twenty six participants. The total distance walked by all participants was eighteen thousand seven hundred miles during the eight weeks and a total of nineteen thousand nine hundred and thirty two fruits and vegetables were consumed. Our winning team with the furthest distance was “Walk N’ Roll,” with sixteen hundred and fifty four miles. Team members include Laury Migchelbrink (Captain), Rhonda Laufer, Patty Horinek, Nancy Fix, Cherie Hayes and Annette Dunker. The winning team with the most fruits and vegetables consumed was “1, 2, 3 Challenge” with a total consumption of thirteen hundred and seventy four cups of fruits and veggies. Team members include Diana Tongish (Captain), Janet Stice, Karin Finley, Amber Timm, Tara Hayden and Linda Glad. Individual winners included Patty Horinek for most mileage, Diana Tongish for most fruits and veggies, Extension’s Choice winner for overall effort went to Effie Fields and Jim and Lyn Reeves are this year’s photo contest winners. Congratulations on a successful (and fruitful) 2015 Walk Kansas! 
