September 14, 2015 - Dust off those walking shoes and join in as we “Walk Across Texas!” Recruit a group of eight people (1 team captain and 7 team members) or sign up as a solo walker and compete with other teams and individuals to see who can walk the most miles over eight weeks from October 3 – November 27, 2015. The goal is to walk at least 830 miles (the distance from Longview to El Paso) in eight weeks. You can walk around the park, your neighborhood, at the gym, wherever your feet will take you to meet the goal. That’s only a little over 13 miles per week or 2.5 miles per day per team member!
Entry fee is a minimum of five cans or other non-perishable food products per person to be given to the Shelby County Outreach Ministries food pantry. The event is open to the public, both adult and youth. Team captains will be given a free “Keep Calm and Walk On, Walk Across Shelby County” t-shirt. Additional t-shirts can be purchased by team members for $15 each. So, form a team of 8, choose your team captain, order your shirt and walk on, Shelby County!
To register to participate as a team or as an individual walker, captains need to stop by the Extension office, 200 San Augustine Street (active courthouse annex building, directly across from The Pizzeria), Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. to pick-up enrollment packets for their team. Deadline to register at the office is Thursday, October 1st.
The kick-off will be held at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 3rd in conjunction with the East Texas Poultry Festival CASA 5K Chicken Fun Run/Walk. Come to the Kick-Off and walk your first 3.1 miles or more with other walkers from Shelby County. We will wrap up the 8 week program with a 5K Turkey Trot on Saturday, November 21st and the team and individual that walks the most miles will receive awards at our wrap up event.
Walk Across Texas, sponsored by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is a fun, flexible, and FREE way to encourage people to exercise. For more information, call Jheri-Lynn McSwain, CEA-FCS at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Shelby County at 936-598-7744 or email at jlmcswain@ag.tamu.edu.
