Looking for a way to stay fit so you can better manage your diabetes? Eager to help fund research looking for a cure? You can do both with the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA’s) Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes.
Since starting more than 20 years ago, the Step Out walks have earned over $150,000,000 to stop diabetes. Participants register and recruit others to walk and raise money for the diabetes cause. There is no fund-raising minimum, but people who raise between $100 and $150 (the amount varies depending on the location of the event) receive a Step Out t-shirt on the day of the event. Seventy-three percent of the ADA’s annual expenses go towards “research, information and advocacy and public awareness activities.”
Interested parties can form their own team, walk as an individual, or walk as part of an established team. Participants with diabetes are known as “Red Striders” and are given a Red Strider hat on the day of the event and recognized in other ways. The walks are typically 3 miles, but can range from 2.5 to 6 miles.
Interested in learning more? Click here to see interviews with event participants, then head over to the FAQ page.
With over 120 walks taking place across the country, there is sure to be one happening near you. To locate an event in your area, see the “Where We Walk” page on the ADA Web site and search by state or zip code.
And for tips on preparing for the big day, check out our article “Training for a Walkathon” by exercise physiologist Werner W.K. Hoeger.
This blog entry was written by Web Editor Diane Fennell.
