City of Decatur Hosts Kick-Off Celebration for Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program

City’s Active Living Board a model for encouraging residents to get out and get moving
Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd and former Olympian Jeff Galloway to speak at event

The City of Decatur is kicking its community fitness campaign up a notch by encouraging residents to join Team Decatur for the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program. The City is hosting an official Kick-Off Celebration event for the program on the Decatur Square Monday, July 26, 2010 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.

WHAT City of Decatur/Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program Kick-Off Celebration

· Receive information about the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk and free local runs and walks around the city.


· Drawings for gifts and certificates from Joan Rao, Leon’s, Big Peach Running, Fleetfeet, Decatur Boxing Club, and more.

· Other giveaways include balloons from Kaiser Permanente and City of Decatur Walking Tour Brochures

· Visit with local businesses including Decatur Boxing Club, Big Peach Running, FleetFeet Decatur, Decatur-DeKalb YMCA, Kick in the Fit, DeKalb Jazzercize, Kaiser Permanente, One Step At A Time, Phidippides, Decatur Active Living, Oh Baby Fitness, CrossFit Decatur, and the Decatur Business Association

· Event is FREE and open to the public

WHEN Monday, July 26, 2010, 6-8 p.m.

WHERE Decatur Square

GREETINGS/ Mayor Bill Floyd, City of Decatur

REMARKS Jeff Galloway, Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk Race Director and former Olympian

Luke Beno, MD, Pediatrician, Kaiser Permanente Decatur Medical Office

Scott Drake, Decatur Business Association

City of Decatur

MUSIC Morgan Rowe

STRETCH BREAK Cheryl Burnette, City of Decatur Active Living

GET FIT TRAINING Greg White, City of Decatur Active Living

Jeff Galloway, Phidippides

Representative, Big Peach Running, Decatur

Clay Scarborough, Fleet Feet, Decatur

Charles Cope, One Step At A Time

MUSIC Morgan Rowe

Decatur’s Active Living Department (formerly Parks & Recreation) has been hard at work developing opportunities to encourage residents to get out and get moving. In addition to adding bike lanes, walking trails and sidewalks around the city to make it more pedestrian friendly, they are also getting ready to launch the “Walk There! Decatur” program. The department has measured distances between a variety of community activity centers around the city and translated the distances into steps that will be posted on signs to encourage people to consider walking instead of driving.

Mayor Bill Floyd, 63, a former marathon runner who often walks to work himself, is proud of the active role his city has taken and the enthusiasm behind its involvement in the KP Corporate Run/Walk. “It’s an opportunity to show people that anyone can maintain a healthy and active lifestyle with a little effort and some reinforcement and support from friends, family and co-workers. And that’s what this is all about,” he said.

Race director Jeff Galloway applauds Decatur’s efforts. “I have never seen a city get behind something like this like the City of Decatur has,” he said. “It is truly inspiring and we hope that City’s excitement will encourage other cities in the metro area to do the same.”

Visit the KP Corporate Run/Walk site today at www.kpcorporaterunwalk.com and go to the registration page to sign up to be a part of Team Decatur. Be sure to click on Team Decatur. All Team Decatur participants receive:
8 weeks of Fitness Tips
Training schedules for beginners and experienced walkers and runners

Free runs and walks around the City of Decatur offered by Big Peach, One Step at a Time, FleetFeet Decatur, Decatur Active Living and more!

Fitness related discounts

An evening of fun and fitness

Free t-shirt

Race refreshments and more at the Team Decatur tent at the World's Largest Office Party

About the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program

The Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program is a unique workplace-organized fitness program that began in 1983 in Atlanta with 900 participants from a handful of companies. Designed to inspire fun, fitness and camaraderie among Atlanta’s corporate community, the annual event attracts more than 15,000 participants from more than 350 companies and is one of the largest workplace organized corporate fitness events in the Southeast. Event highlights of the 28th run/walk event include an eight-week “Get Active Atlanta” training program, 5K run/walk, Best Self Atlanta Magazine Expo, free team and candid photos, awards ceremony, fireworks, music by Rupert’s Orchestra and hundreds of office picnics in downtown Atlanta adjacent to Turner Field. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Atlanta Braves Foundation and the Atlanta Community Food Bank. For more information, visit www.kpcorporaterunwalk.com.

TRAINING: July 26 – Sept. 16, Free 8-week “Get Active Atlanta” Training Program
Aug. 18 – Sept. 15, Complimentary Workouts at LA Fitness – all Metro Atlanta locations
5K RUN/WALK: September 16, 2010, 7:00 p.m., Downtown Atlanta, Turner Field
REGISTRATION: www.kpcorporaterunwalk.com

Online: May 1 – September 15, 2 p.m.

Mail: May 1 – September 10

In-person: September 9-15 (at Phidippides running/walking stores)
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter:
Facebook: Search for Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program.
Twitter: twitter.com/kpcorprunwalk

In addition to seventh year title sponsor Kaiser Permanente, other sponsors for this year’s Corporate Run/Walk include Mercer, CBS Atlanta, DAVE FM, 680 The Fan Sports Radio, Best Self Atlanta magazine, FitAtlanta magazine, Clear Channel Outdoor and Phidippides.

About Kaiser Permanente of Georgia
Kaiser Permanente is Georgia’s largest not-for-profit health plan. Its mission is to provide high quality, affordable health care services to improve the health of its members and the communities it serves. Kaiser Permanente serves more than 230,000 members in a 28-county service area in metro-Atlanta with care focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists, and team of health care providers. Expert and caring medical teams are supported by industry-leading technology and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Nationally, Kaiser Permanente is recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers, serving more than 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit www.kp.org.