Walk Kansas celebrates journey's end

Saturday, May 16, 2009
Walk Kansas team the Ground Pounders posed for a picture on May 11 to celebrate the successful conclusion of the program and their first place win. Front Row, from left -- Dottie Pulliam, Carey Eisenbrandt; Back Row, from left, Sandra Eisenbrandt, Caroline Hutson and Micah Eisenbrandt. Not pictured: Sundae Garcia. --Submitted photo

On May 11, participants of the 2009 Walk Kansas program celebrated the end of an eight-week-long journey.

During the celebration, the top Walk Kansas teams and individuals were recognized for their success during the program.

According to Kansas State Research and Extension Agent Ann Ludlum, Walk Kansas is an eight-week health and wellness programin which 50 Bourbon County teams comprised of 300 area residents participated in this year. Through the program, the participants increased their levels of physical activity and made a conscious effort to eat healthier food.

By the end of the program, which ended on May 2, 43 out of the 50 teams had walked the 423 miles it would take to travel across the state. During the program, Ludlum said participants recorded the amount of time they devoted to physical activity. For every 15 minutes of physical activity, the participants logged one mile. In order for a team to walk the distance across the state each team member had to complete 150 miles of physicial activity per week.

According to Ludlum, there were 42,983 miles reported during the program. The team who came in first place and walked the furthest was Sandra Eisenbrandt's team the Ground Pounders, who walked 2,640 miles. Craig Campbell and his team All Walk, No Talk came in second place with 2,557 miles. Cure Ahead in '09 and team captain Kim Domer came in third place with 1,840 miles.

During the Walk Kansas program, participants ate a combined 46,131 cups of fruits and vegetables. The Ground Pounders consumed 1,776 cups of fruits and vegetables; Curves Ahead in '09 ate 1,548 cups; and All Walk and No Talk took in 1,412 cups of fruits and vegetables.

According to Ludlum, Irene Herrero, 85 and the oldest participant, logged 444 miles during the eight-week program, and Walk Kansas participant Terri Williams consumed 294 cups of fruits and vegetables, which was the highest of any other participant.

In an optional weight loss competition, sponsored by the Buck Run Community Center, the Ground Pounders reportedly lost the most amount of combined weight loss during the program.

According to Ludlum, the teams' combined loss of 45 pounds could be attributed to a combination of increased physical activity and consuming a greater amount of fruits and vegetables. Team member Dottie Pulliam lost 16 pounds and two jean sizes, and team member Sundae Garcia lost 15 pounds during the program.

Ludlum said she encourages the Walk Kansas participants to continue logging their physical activity and fruit and vegetable intake throughout the year. Walk Kansas 2010 is tentatively scheduled to begin March 7, 2010.