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<br />Health workers complete ‘walk’ to California <br />Apr. 28, 2015 @ 06:45 PM <br />Keith Upchurch <br />DURHAM — <br />They’ve talked the talk, and now they’ve walked the walk. <br />Staff members at the Orange County Health Department have reached their goal of walking the distance <br />to Orange County, California — a week ahead of schedule. <br />As part of a walking challenge, health workers began tracking their steps on March 1 with a goal of <br />covering the width of the United States — 2,505 miles. <br />Initially, they expected to need eight weeks, but they reached the goal Friday. <br />The purpose of the walk was to improve employee health, build exercise habits among staff and spread <br />the message about the importance of physical activity, according to Stacy Shelp, public information officer <br />for the health department. <br />Participants tracked their daily steps using pedometers and other tools. <br />Shelp tracked many of her steps in the beach sand at Emerald Isle. Depending on the weather, she <br />logged between 4,000 and 12,000 steps each day, averaging about 10 miles a week during the <br />challenge. <br />“Before the challenge, I probably walked about eight miles a week, but every bit helps,” she said. <br />Shelp said participants reported feeling better as they stepped up their daily exercise. Many plan to <br />continue the practice in the future. <br />The department created an interactive map to document their journey and track their progress. The map <br />included pins that linked to public health departments along the way. <br />The Orange County Health Department got calls from as far away as Colorado and California from <br />groups that heard about the challenge and hope to start similar effor ts. <br />“Orange County, California’s health department said they may even take up the challenge and walk over <br />to North Carolina,” Shelp said <br />