Out of 658 participants on 60 teams who walked a total of 168,440,076 steps in the annual Homer Steps Walking Challenge from May 1-28, the Sweaty Bettys have won. They logged 4,822,522 steps, resulting in a cumulative average score of 535,836. Team members included Brooke Sanford, Devry Garity, Jen Liston, Juley Kalugin, Lila Johnson, Mary Liston, Melinda Erickson, Michelle Geagel and Theresa Halpin. The team was awarded the Homer Steps Traveling Trophy on Saturday, June 4, at the awards event at SPARC. Second place were The Jabberwalkies with a cumulative average score of 511,175, and third were The Strolling Shovers with a 410,596 cumulative average score.

In its sixth year, the event rules were changed slightly to offer only one category of teams, with team size capped at 25 members. The South Peninsula Hospital Foundation awarded $1,800 in cash prizes. Additionally, weekly drawings for Homer Bucks were held based on steps walked. The following businesses offered Steps Deals to Challenge participants: Homer Saw and Cycle, Homer’s Jeans, CycleLogical, The Good Life Doggy Daycare, and Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.

Homer Steps Up is sponsored by South Peninsula Hospital Health and Wellness, in cooperation with the city of Homer, SPH Hospital Foundation, South Peninsula Behavioral Health, SPARC, SVT Health & Wellness, and the Homer Chamber of Commerce. Event results can be found at www.homerstepsup.com, on Facebook or by contacting Annie Garay, RN, at SPH Health and Wellness at 907-235-0285.