Homer Steps Up
8th Annual Community Walking Challenge for the Southern Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

May 1-28, 2024

Over $5,000 in Cash and Prizes!

Free Registration opens April 1 for 2024 Challenge Register

Registration opens April 1 for Homer Steps Up community walking challenge, a four week event running May 1 – 28, 2024. This event is open to anyone on the southern Kenai Peninsula, and attracts hundreds of individuals on dozens of teams to compete for over $5,000 value in prizes.

The challenge is free to register, and teams of 5-25 members compete by logging their steps using a wearable fitness tracker, smartphone or tracking and entering them manually. The winning team, based on a cumulative average of their members’ steps (not a total sum), gets bragging rights and their name on the traveling trophy. The top three winning teams will designate cash donations of $500 for first, $300 for second and $200 for third to a local non-profit of their choice.

Thanks to a grant from South Peninsula Hospital Foundation, all individual participants reaching a weekly step average of 35,000 steps (approximately 5,000 steps a day) will be entered for weekly prize drawings and $5,000 in end of challenge cash prizes. Three winners will be drawn in three different step categories weekly, and they are eligible for $100, $200 and $300 cash prizes at the challenge end. Winners will be announced and all will be celebrated at the end of challenge awards event.

Free indoor walking will be provided every Wednesday in the month of May starting May 1st from 5-6pm at SPARC. Enjoy free indoor walking, pick up free Homer Steps Up swag, get a free blood pressure reading and get assistance signing up. All are invited to stay from 6-7pm for free community yoga.

Stop by weekly Wellness Wednesday events at the KP College every Wednesday from 5-7pm through end of April to learn more, or email wellness@sphosp.org


South Peninsula Hospital Foundation
SVT Health and Wellness
City of Homer
South Peninsula Behavioral Health Services
South Peninsual Hospital

2023 Results

Step O Meter

Thank you to all 665 participants on 70 teams for your participation!

While we didn’t reach 175 million, together we walked the equivalent of:

2023 Homer Steps Up! Champions:

The WINNING TEAM is again the Sweaty Betty's for the second year in a row!

They won the Homer Steps Up! trophy, custom Homer Steps Up! 2023 Champions t-shirts for every member of their team, and $500 to donate to the local charity/nonprofit of their choice! Thank you to The Homer Foundation  for sponsoring the donations for the top three teams!

Congratulations to this dedicated, committed group of steppers who achieved the highest score (cumulative average of all members steps throughout the challenge) of 756,071. Their ACTUAL total steps was 6,048,509!

Sweaty Betty's chose Homer Little League for their $500 donation!

The Blue Mile, in second place with a score of 715,524 and 3,577,630 actual total steps chose Christian Community Church- Homer for their $300 donation!

The Water Willies, in third place with a score of 488,371 and 2,930,177 actual total steps chose Friends of Kachemak Bay State Parks for their $200 donation!

Winning Team
Winners!

Second Place Team - Blue Mile

Second Place Team - Blue Mile

Third Place Team - Water Willies

Third Place Team - Water Willies

Congratulations to the winners of the End-of-Challenge CASH prizes! These winners are drawn randomly from three separate categories of total steps, based on a 5K a day average minimum for eligibility.

These cash prizes are made possible by the generous financial support of the South Peninsula Hospital Foundation, Inc.! Thank you, Angie Newby for representing the SPHFI and presenting some of the winners with their prizes!

$100 Winners:
Dena Johnson on SVTHW Brisk Blueberries with 212,280 total challenge steps
Regina Johanos on Books are made for walking with 235,388 total challenge steps
Tina Seaton on SPARC-lers  with 183,797 total challenge steps

$200 Winners:
Linda Ericson on SVTHW Brisk Blueberries  with 401,165 total challenge steps
Robin Holmes on KBFPC  with 359,228 total challenge steps
Lisa Christopher on SPARC-lers  with 317,978 total challenge steps

$300 Winners:
Denise Nibert on Kale Blazers  with 464,695 total challenge steps
Meg Gravley on Paul Banks Peanuts  with 597,443 total challenge steps
Samantha Keeley on Sweaty Betty's  with 732,545 total challenge steps

Congratulations to the final weekly winners of the Homer Bucks prize drawings and the Yeti mug prize drawings!

In the 35k-83,999 Weekly Total Steps Category:
Audrey Morris on SPBHS with 38,731 total week four steps
Carol Kerkvliet on Anything is Pawsible with 74,590 total week four steps
Marilyn Duncan on RazDazzlers with 73,701 total week four steps

In the 84K-139,999 Weekly Total Steps Category:
Ashley Switzer on OB Ovary-chievers with 85,667 total week four steps
Colleen Murphy on Acute Care Cuties with 113,350 total week four steps
Tammy Branson on Acute Care Cuties with 114,570 total week four steps

In the 140K or more Weekly Total Steps Category:
Cindy Llenos on Sweaty Betty's with 207,336 total week four steps
Lisa Ravenscroft on The Blue Mile with 152,604 total week four steps
Christopher Stillford on The Blue Mile with 418,505 total week four steps

AND the winner of a Yeti mug for answering the "Question of the Week" - Shirley Heusel on Team Git'er Done!

Winners have been contacted individually, but feel free to congratulate them!

Thank you to our co-sponsors: South Peninsula Hospital, the City of Homer, SVT Health & Wellness, South Peninsula Behavioral Health Services  and SPARC South Peninsula Athletic & Recreation Center, and to the South Peninsula Hospital Foundation, Inc. for making these weekly prize drawings possible throughout the challenge!

At a Glance

Year

Total Participants

Total Teams

Winning Teams

Total Steps as a Community

2023

665

70

Sweaty Betty’s

165,129,433

2022

658

60

Sweaty Betty’s

168,440,076

2021

700

46

City of Homer (Big Team); Harbor School of Music and Dance (Small Team)

164,202,611

2020

610

31

City of Homer (Team 25+); Harbor School of Dance & Music (Team <25)

120,418,211

2019

492

19

City of Homer (Team 25+); M&M&M’s

(Team <25)

110.971.802

2018

435

18

City of Homer

90,214,266

2017

187

4

City of Homer

-

 

All teams