Registration is now open for the annual “Homer Steps Up” community walking challenge. The four-week event will run from May 1 to May 28. The challenge is free, and prospective participants can register online.

Now in its ninth year, the event is open to anyone on the southern Kenai Peninsula. South Peninsula Hospital said in a press release Monday morning that the event regularly attracts hundreds of individuals over dozens of teams to “build a healthy walking routine, with prize incentives along the way.”

Coordinated by SPH, with support from numerous partnering agencies, the challenge is “a way to help motivate the community to engage in simple ways like movement to help improve overall health, and provide a fun, interactive community event to help bridge the long, cool transition from spring to summer.” SPH said that last year’s challenge had more than 800 individuals enrolled on 100 teams, who logged a total of more than 165 million steps.

Teams of at least five members compete by logging their steps using a wearable fitness tracker, smartphone or tracking and entering them manually. The winning team is based on “a cumulative average” of their members’ steps, rather than “a total sum.”

The top three winning teams are given the chance to designate cash donations to a local nonprofit of their choice. South Peninsula Hospital Foundation has sponsored a weekly Homer Bucks drawing for all individual participants who reach a minimum of 7,500 daily steps.

Free indoor walking will be provided every Monday in May from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the SPARC. According to South Peninsula Hospital, community participants can “enjoy free indoor walking, pick up free Homer Steps Up swag, get a free blood pressure reading and get assistance signing up.”

Winners will be announced and celebrated at an awards event at the end of the challenge.

Homer Steps Up is coordinated by South Peninsula Hospital and is made possible through the support of their partners, including the City of Homer, South Peninsula Behavioral Health, SPARC, and SVT Health & Wellness.

For more information, you can visit the event online at homerstepsup.com.