STARKVILLE — Walkers are on the move once again, competing to reach the highest number of steps during the fourth Starkville Stride walking challenge.

Hunter Harrington, Director of Membership for the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, said the event kicked off Saturday, and registration will remain open through the end of the challenge April 12. The challenge encourages community camaraderie and healthy lifestyle choices, she said.

“It’s a team based step challenge, so you can corral your people together and encourage them to start a team,” Harrington said. “… You’re essentially competing against people in your team-size category. And you see how many steps your team can average in a six-week time period.”

After registering online for a $10 entry fee, participants get a link to the WellBeing app, Harrington said, which pairs with smart devices to track their steps. Devices like a FitBit or Apple Watch can pair with the app, Harrington said, or participants can request a pedometer to use during the challenge.

Participants can join with and form their own teams, Harrington said, or they can join the community team. Throughout the challenge, door prizes will be given out to individuals with high enough steps to enter drawings, she said.

At the end of the six weeks, trophies will be awarded to the winning small team (three to seven members), mid-size team (8-15 members) and large team (16 or more members).

Harrington helped to develop Starkville Stride as a fun community activity that also met social distancing requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenge is a partnership between Mississippi State University, OCH Regional Medical Center, Starkville Parks and Recreation Department and GSDP.

This year’s challenge also includes a partnership with Oktibbeha County Humane Society. Executive Director Michele Anderson said participants can come to the Starkville shelter between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 11-15 to walk an adoptable dog.

“OCHS is excited to partner with the Starkville Stride challenge… and give our pups a day out of the shelter to get some exercise and have some fun,” Anderson said in a text message to The Dispatch.

Why walk?

Harrington said the challenge encourages participants to be more mindful of their health, since it acts as a good reminder that they need to be moving regularly during the day.

Walking at a brisk pace for at least 150 minutes a week can help you reduce your risk of serious diseases like heart disease, according to an article from the American Heart Association last reviewed in 2024. Walking can also prevent weight gain, improve blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, or even improve memory and reduce your risk of dementia.

Seeing each others’ step counts, Harrington said, also helps team members to encourage each other to keep going and beat other teams. Every year since its inception, she said, the challenge has grown, and the competition has gotten fiercer.

“Every year, it has gotten more competitive,” Harrington said. “This year, we’ve seen more businesses getting involved, as far as businesses starting their own teams, to encourage their employees and provide a health-based incentive for their employees.”

Reed’s Starkville sales manager and buyer Bo Summerford said he has participated in Starkville Stride “since its inception.” He said the challenge has helped him to be more active personally, as the challenge is fun and helps team members encourage each other to walk.

“I just feel like it’s a good event that brings camaraderie to my store,” Summerford said. “I actually covered the entry fee for anyone on my sales team or any of my customers that wanted to participate. I feel like it brings health initiatives as well as healthy competition to the store.”

But businesses are not the only ones jumping into the stride. Starkville Community Theatre Executive Director Gabe Smith said the theater group is jumping back into the challenge again this year, after taking a break last year.

“Personally, I’ve been on a good hot streak of living healthier, and this is just a great way to kind of add accountability for yourself and lightly, gently encourage other people that you know that – it’s spring time, let’s see if we can kick off the rust a little bit and see what we can do,” Smith said.

The challenge helps team members get to know each other better, Smith said, since they can see each others’ step counts each day and share stories about their walks. For him, he said, it’s not about the competition anymore.

“It really is just encouraging people to get out there, move around and use whatever they’ve got however they can while the weather’s nice,” Smith said.