Coatesville On The Move winds up walking competition

COATESVILLE » Coatesville On The Move, an initiative of Activate Chester County, recently concluded their spring Step It Up Walking Competition. This 6-week team competition took place from April to May and included representatives from local businesses, churches, schools and non-profit organizations throughout the area.

Over 450 individuals comprising 29 teams wore pedometers or used smart watches to track the number of steps they took each day. The goal was to increase physical activity, specifically walking, each day as well as introduce the community to the new walking trails designated by the county.

The “Med Walkers” of Med Center 100 were the highest stepping team in the competition averaging over 685,000 steps per person. The individual who walked the most steps during the competition was Donna Klimcho a member of the Brandywine YMCA who walked over 1,200,000 steps! The second-place individual Michelle Murawsk also represented the Brandywine YMCA and the thirdplace winner Kelly Emig represented Brandywine Accounting. Special recognition goes out to East Fallowfield’s 4th and 5th graders who contributed over 8 million steps! In total the walking competitors walked over 107 million steps.

The Step It Up Walking Competition was sponsored by the Chester County Health Department, the Coatesville Center for Community Health, and ChesPenn Health Services. This competition was a major contributor to WalkWorks ChesCo!, an initiative of the Chester County Health Department, which challenges county residents of all ages to lace up their sneakers and walk one billion steps before the end of the year.

As a community coalition of Activate Chester County, Coatesville On The Move’s mission is to collaboratively create a supportive environment in our community that seeks to improve the physical, mental, and spiritual health of its residents through the coordination of existing community resources.

On average, every minute of walking can extend your life by 1-1/2-2 minutes. Brisk walking reduces body fat, cholesterol, and the risk of bone fracture. Walking 20 minutes daily will burn off 7lbs of body fat in a year! Walking also helps to control and prevent conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

SUBMITTED PHOTO The winners of this spring’s competition were were the “Med Walkers” of Med Center 100 in Exton.