| December 4, 2003 |
Congresswoman Kay Granger (R – Fort Worth) and KXAS/Channel 5 meteorologist David Finfrock officially kicked off the Kay Granger Fitness Challenge with a pep rally at the McDonald YMCA to 75 local youth on Tuesday.
The Kay Granger Fitness Challenge is open to all students who record their daily step counts in fitness logs and who train and complete either the Bombay Kids 5K or 10K at the 2004 Cowtown Marathon on February 28.
This challenge follows legislation that Granger co-sponsored in February 2003 known as the IMPACT Act, which enhances schools’ and health care professionals’ health education programs and promotes increased physical activity among youth.
"I want kids to realize that better healthy eating and regular exercise at their age can protect them from a host of illnesses as they grow older," said Granger. "I take this message to heart, which is why I’ll be doing the race myself."
After the rally, Granger and Finfrock led the students outside to see a race car from Texas Motor Speedway, which is giving each challenge participant one ticket to the O’Reilly 300 NASCAR race event at TMS on April 3, 2004.
With the drop of a green flag, Granger and Finfrock started the race to better children’s health.
Each student who registers for the challenge will receive a pedometer, weekly training log, and T-shirt. As the weeks go by, the required number of steps on the log gradually increases. After completing the race, Granger will present each participant in the challenge with a medal, certificate, and the race ticket.
To sign up for the Kay Granger Fitness Challenge or any other Cowtown Marathon race event, call the Cowtown Marathon office at (817) 735-2033 or go to the Cowtown Marathon website.