OGDEN -- Students at Lincoln Elementary School are running 1,000 miles this month in the hope of winning money to build a walking path next to their school.
The school and local YMCA have teamed up to work toward the goal, said Sharon Gardner, YMCA after-school program manager. It's all part of the national Pepsi Refresh competition, in which 10 winners will be awarded $50,000 to go toward their project.
But there's a bit of a catch. The school needs the public to go online and vote.
"That's also part of the deal. We need people to go online or even text in their vote for us," Gardner said. "The kids are running to meet the 1,000 mile challenge, but the votes will also determine who wins."
The walking path would be built to the west of the school, surrounding Eyrie Park, Gardner said. The goal is to have exercise stations placed throughout the pathway.
"It would really be a great thing for the school but also the after-school program and the community as well," she said. "The length of the walking path would be a quarter of a mile."
Lincoln Elementary School is a Gold Medal school, part of a program developed in 2001 by the Utah Department of Health. The program uses the state office of education's core curriculum and the CDC's guidelines to address obesity in elementary schools.
"The walking path would fit in beautifully with the Gold Medal program because the kids would be able to walk around it four times to meet the mile," Gardner said.
To vote for the school, go to www.refresheverything.com. Once you're in, go to the search box and type in Mt. Eyrie. You will have to register by filling out your email and birth date. Gardner said that's because you must be 13 or older to vote. You can also text 73774 and type in the code 109790 to vote.
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