Stepping up to the challenge
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By Karla Walsh | Thursday, June 26, 2008 |
(Contributed photo) These Rock Island Arsenal employees are among the Quad-City groups that have walked more than 1 million miles in the Moon Walk challenge.
The Quad-Cities has won the million-mile walk — with a week still to go!
For the second time in the three years the community has competed in the Moon Walk with Peoria and Champaign-Urbana, Ill., it’s a champion.
Nicole Carkner, project coordinator at the Quad-City Health Initiative, said this week’s count showed “we were over 1 million Moon Walk miles. Our goal was 954,800.” Final statistics will not be available until Moon Walk 2008 ends June 27, she added, but the triumph has been clinched.
“Peoria and Champaign-Urbana have acknowledged and congratulated us on our victory. Once again we have captured the Moon Walk walking stick trophy and the title of Moon Walk champions,” she added.
In the activity that began April 4 this year, participants track their miles walked each day. The first community to log enough miles to figuratively walk to the moon and back twice — the 954,800-mile figure Carkner mentioned — is the winner.
“It’s great to get the Quad-Cities moving. Moon Walk helps people realize what activity they are doing,” said Sherry Emerick, executive director of the West Family YMCA in Davenport and association captain of a Moon Walk team.
Since distance is tracked through pedometers, participants can measure all of the steps they take each day rather than merely logging exercise time. That encourages walkers to slip in more activity whenever they can.
“We suggest folks wear pedometers from the time they get up until the time they go to bed. This way they can track when they take the stairs instead of the elevator or walk from the back of the parking lot at the grocery store,” said Becki Anderson, administrative assistant at the QCHI.
Each week, team captains register the miles walked by each individual on their squads at the Moon Walk Web site. After the totals are tallied, a team is chosen as the weekly champion based on its cumulative average of miles per member. Each member of the weekly winning team is awarded a gift certificate to an area business. Restaurants and grocery stores donated the prizes.
The QCHI, which focuses on improving the health and quality of life of area residents, has been involved with the Moon Walk all three years and plans to continue as long as other cities participate and challenge the Quad-Cities.
The Wellness Champions, a QCHI volunteer group comprised of 69 individuals, have played an integral role in the success of the Moon Walk here. Community members can join the group by contacting the QCHI and helping to organize future Moon Walks and other programs that seek to improve the diet and exercise habits of Quad-City residents.
In 2006, the Quad-Cities won the Moon Walk trophy on its first try. Peoria, the community that began the Moon Walk in 2003, was the champion of last year’s competition.
“There is quite a bit of pride involved,” Carkner said. “It’s great to see Moon Walk take root. ... People are championing this in their own communities.”
A total of 96 teams made up of 5,212 individuals helped the Quad-Cities regain bragging rights this year.
The QCHI will hold a community “Splashdown” celebration July 9 at which final team statistics and award winners will be announced.
Contact the city desk at (563) 383-2245 or newsroom@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.
ON THE WEB
To learn more about the Quad-City Health Initiative, Moon Walk or Wellness Champions, visit www.qchealthinitiative.org on the Web. To keep tabs on the progress of the Quad-City, Peoria and Champaign-Urbana teams, visit http://www.genesishealth.com/qchi/moonwalk/08_moonwalkintro.aspx.
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