The Great Bend Recreation Commission and the Barton County Extension Office will host a Walk Kansas Pep Rally from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, at the band shell in the courthouse square.
Walk Kansas is an eight-week fitness challenge that started March 15 and ends May 9. Six-person teams are logging their minutes of walking and other exercise, as they attempt to “walk” the length of the state, 423 miles; across and back, 846; or around the perimeter, 1,200 miles. Each 15 minutes of exercise counts as 1 mile.
“This pep rally will get you pumped up for the stretch run for the Walk Kansas program,” said Donna Krug, family and consumer science agent. She will lead a short informational session at the free event. Door prizes will be given away to help Walk Kansas teams prepare to finish their miles.
In the event of inclement weather, the pep rally will be moved to the Great Bend Activity Center, 2715 18th St.

For more information, call the Recreation Commission office, 793-3755 ext. 2, or email recreation@gbrc.kscoxmail.com.
According to the Walk Kansas website, www.walkkansas.org, there are 2,693 teams statewide this year, including 56 in Barton County, 13 in Pawnee, 10 in Stafford and seven in Rice County. Ellsworth and Russell counties form a district with 31 teams, and Lane, Rush and Ness counties have 29 teams.
The Barton County team known as John and His Angels is attempting to walk around the perimeter of the state and consistently leads the county in miles reported. As of Friday the team had completed 862 miles. Team members are also encouraged to keep track of how many cups of fruit and vegetables they eat, and John and His Angels have reported 679 cups.