Last of a million steps

A little late with this (durn important e-mail got buried under an avalanche of "miracle fat burning pill" e-mails), but thought it importnt to let you now that Gary Marino and Kathy Higgins aren't still walking and are somewhere in the mid-Atlantic.

 Through Raleigh, the MSM followed scenic Western Boulevard.

In May, we told you about the Million Step March, a Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina event intended to get North Carolinians moving. The gimmick: Higgins, vice president of community relations for BCBS, and Marino, a sort of born-again-fitness-adherent-for-hire, would take 10 weeks to walk 600 miles across the state, stopping in hamlets along the way to spread the word about healthy living (final tally: 38 programs along the way attracted more than 4,500 people). Close to schedule, they finished their journey, which began in Asheville on April 1 (seriously!), on June 12 in Wilmington.

In addition to spreading the word about health & fitness, the Million Step March included an online component that let folks statewide play along. Log into the walk's Web site, record your own walks, win prizes. All told, 6,400 people signed up, logging about 270,000 miles. (Actually, the online walk continues: as of today, the total number of walkers was up to 6,465 and miles walked to 308,502.) Plus, the Girl Scouts scored $75,000 on the walk, being voted as the non-profit entity best suited to "promote physical activity in NC communities." It's for a planned program called "Make Every Dance Step Count."

We shared Marino's story with you in May. We hope to catch up with Higgins later in the week and talk to her about her experience walking from Asheville to Wilmington.