STARKVILLE — Over the past year, Tabitha Hunt Stewart has lost more than 80 pounds. Starkville Stride may help her reach 100.
“Last January… I started a weight loss journey of my own… I would go to the doctor, and my lab results just were not where I wanted them to be. Whether it was high blood pressure or cholesterol, or whatever, I needed to go on a weight loss journey,” said Stewart. “I feel like I’m almost where I want to be, but (Starkville Stride) might kick-start my summer and help me carry that through.”
Starkville Stride is an annual steps challenge hosted by the Greater Starkville Development Partnership that challenges both businesses and the community to track their steps using the MoveSpring app. Teams compete for the highest step count and can see their placement in real time.
This year, the competition runs from Wednesday, March 1 to April 15.
Stewart, the Director of Retail Operations at Mississippi Eyewear, is getting her whole staff involved in the challenge this year. She said the group accountability may help her to reach her goal.
“When you have a job at a retail office or behind a desk at a computer all the time, it’s easy to become inactive,” Stewart said. “You’ve got to keep your body moving. So even during the work day, we are actually going to be taking turns during the day getting out on Main Street and walking the block.”
Hunter Harrington, the Director of Membership Development for the GSDP, helped develop Starkville Stride three years ago. She said community connection was one of the main goals of Starkville Stride.
“We wanted to do some kind of event where you didn’t have to gather, but you were able to do things that promote healthy wellbeing and mental wellbeing,” Harrington said. “We decided to do a steps challenge… and then we wanted to take it a step further. We didn’t just want it to be a Partnership thing, but a community thing.”
Starting in 2020, Oktibbeha County Hospital, Starkville Parks and Recreation, and Mississippi State University partnered with the GSDP to help develop Starkville Stride.
But Harrington wanted to include even more of the community.
With social distancing in mind, the Partnership developed a series of social media programming for the participants throughout the challenge. Topics included sleep health, mental health, nutrition, workouts, and more. This social media programming has become a yearly tradition for Starkville Stride.
Harrington said this year, Starkville Stride will include more in-person events as well.
On Wednesday, the program is going to start with a kick-off at Fire Station Park. Elaine Schempf of the OCH Wellness Connection will be leading aerobics classes at 7:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 5:30 p.m. to start the competition.
Harrington said she is excited to see this year’s competition. As of Monday morning afternoon, more than 500 people were signed up for Starkville Stride.
Fifty-one teams, 332 individuals signed up as of Thursday.
“In the beginning, my goal was to lose 40 to 50 pounds,” Stewart said. “I’ve lost 80, and I’d like to hit over the 100 pound mark. And I feel like I can do that by this summer… And I can thank the City of Starkville, or at least the Partnership, for that.”
“This all came about because my dad ran the Wellness Center in Tupelo for years and years. He passed away ten years ago. But he did a similar community challenge program that was a weight loss program,” Harrington said. “The community loved it. They got the city involved, and it just encouraged the community to focus… on their health.”
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
