Geiger completes mayor walking challenge

PONDERAY — By the end of the month, Ponderay Mayor Steve Geiger walked 493,000 steps — or 225 miles — as part of the Idaho Mayor’s Walking Challenge.

This year's challenge attracted 81 mayors, including Geiger, who earned up to $1,000 for their efforts, said Blue Cross of Idaho officials. Mayors who walked 5,000 steps a day earned $500 and those that walked 10,000 steps a day earned $1,000. All funds of the walking challenge are for projects that promote the community in being active.

Now in his fourth year of taking part in the challenge, Geiger donates the money he raises to Ponderay’s only school, Sandpoint Christian School. In the past, the funds have gone to playground equipment.

Geiger said he did not know what exercise equipment or activity the school has decided to purchase with the funds as of yet.

“I’m really good under a challenge and can be bribed to exercise,” said Geiger. “This challenge is all about what I can do for the kids in the community.”

The mayors track their progress using Fitbits and can compare steps to others in the competition. Geiger said that at one point in the month of October that he was in the top seven and eighth place of all the mayors participating. He was trying to stay in the top 10, but finished 11th.

He attributed his finish to when he spent time mowing the median lawn on US. 95 instead of going on walks.

Geiger said by setting goals throughout the day he was able to hit his overall goal. By 9 a.m he wanted to have 5,000 steps, he added

“I learned to read the paper while walking around my shop,” Geiger said. “I made a sort of walking track in the shop.”

By the afternoon he wanted to hit 10,000 steps. To do so he would walk the local trails on his lunch break. He would even walk to city hall and around the block when he took phone calls.

The challenge really makes one aware of the need to be active, said Geiger. He said it was a great thing overall for the community to receive funds to encourage healthy behavior, but it is also a good idea in the long run in order to encourage health.

He said this focus on health not only saves Blue Cross of Idaho money in the long run, but individuals as well as good health now leads to a healthier future.

He said that challenges like this are one of the great feel-good things that come with the job of being mayor.

Common questions residents had for Geiger was had he worn out a pair of shoes or had shed some pounds during the walking challenge. He said that his shoes were not overly worn and that he too thought he would lose weight, but that is not what the challenge is for.

In 2018 Geiger walked 180 miles. This year with a total of 225 miles, Geiger could have walked nearly to Grangeville from Ponderay.