Healthy Communities announces Mayor's Fitness Challenge kickoff Sept. 18, mayor's walks at Zoo City Sportsplex

Mary Joan Pugh, head of Healthy Communities, announced plans for the Mayor's Fitness Challenge during a community briefing, saying registration and the kickoff are Sept. 18 and participants will begin logging steps on Sept. 27. "I'm getting ready for the mayor's fitness challenge, which is a 6 week fitness competition where teams try to get as many steps as they can, to win," Pugh said. "The registration and the kickoff is September 18. And you can go to healthycommunitiesa3.com to register. And then you can return on September 27 to start logging your steps."

Pugh said organizers will support participants with Mayor's walks and hikes on Sundays. "And to help you, we have mayor's walks and, hikes on Sunday. The 1 of them will be here in in, Zoo City Sportsplex. It'll be 1 of the mayor's walks. And then we have other walks and hikes that are in Randolph County, which you can see here," she said. The announcement did not specify the number of walks, exact start times, or whether any permits or registration are required for the individual walks.

This was an informational announcement by Healthy Communities; no formal action, vote, or city endorsement was recorded in the remarks. Residents interested in joining were directed to the Healthy Communities registration site at healthycommunitiesa3.com and encouraged to attend the scheduled walks and hikes.

Organizers described the Mayor's Fitness Challenge as a team-based, six-week step competition intended to encourage community fitness and participation. Additional logistical details — including walk schedules, exact locations beyond the Zoo City Sportsplex, and whether the mayor or city staff will attend specific walks — were not specified in the announcement.