News and Press Releases for April 2007
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4/10/2007
Route Changed for First Family's May 5th Bike Ride
New Bike Ride Route Will Begin and End in Aiken 5k Run/Walk Route Remains the Same
Columbia, S.C. - Gov. Mark Sanford and First Lady Jenny Sanford today announced a new route for their May 5 bike ride, which will now begin and end in Aiken. The beginning and end point for the nearly 70-mile ride will be the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center (1700 Whiskey Road, Aiken). The change was made in order to ease travel needs for riders. The route for Mrs. Sanford's 5k run/walk in Aiken will remain the same.
Maps of both routes can be found on the governor's Web site, www.scgovernor.com. The Saturday, May 5 event will kick off the Governor and First Lady's yearly Family Fitness Challenge, an effort to encourage South Carolinians to be more active in their day-to-day lives.
"After getting input from a number of people in the cycling community, we think this new route will be a little easier to get to and from, and will hopefully allow more South Carolinians to participate in this effort to encourage people to get more active," Gov. Sanford said. "The bottom line is that as individual South Carolinians, too many of us don't get enough exercise and eat the wrong things, leading to our state being near the top of the list for a whole host of health problems due to unhealthy lifestyles. I'd invite every South Carolinian to join Jenny, the boys and me to take this step together in changing that trend."
Additional logistical details for the ride and run/walk are also available on Gov. Sanford's Web site. By logging on and clicking the "Family Fitness Challenge" link on the left hand side of the page, participants can access maps of both the bike ride and the 5k run/walk routes, as well as a registration form for the activities. All participants are encouraged to register. Also available tomorrow (Wednesday) on the Web site will be a photo gallery of previous Family Fitness Challenge events!
The Family Fitness Challenge is part of a larger initiative, the Healthy SC Challenge, a results-oriented initiative aimed at motivating South Carolinians to start making choices to improve health and well-being.
Stay tuned for additional details from the Governor's Office regarding the Family Fitness Challenge. For additional information please call 803-734-2100, or e-mail familyfitness@gov.sc.gov.