The forecast promised a chance of precipitation and a certainty of perspiration for eight physical fitness proponents as they began a 210-mile trek Monday from Naperville to Springfield.
The ”Fitness Is Leading the Way” team drew a muggy day to test the stamina of even marathoner Ron Lehman.
Lehman, co-chairman of the event, is one of the representatives from local park districts who are running, walking and riding bicycles to the state capital to publicize the advantages of physical fitness and healthier lifestyles.
The team that took off from the Naperville Riverwalk on Monday will follow a route that will take them through Lockport, Joliet, Bradley, Kankakee, Rantoul, Champaign and Decatur.
Two other teams left Monday from Rock Island and Carmi. The three groups, which carried ribbons and scissors for the opening ceremony of the Illinois State Fair, planned to arrive in Springfield on Wednesday.
Lehman, a commissioner with the Channahon Park District, should be well prepared for the event. He finished the Boston Marathon this spring in a time of 3 hours, 34 minutes.
Lehman also has a fitness company that works with athletes to develop personal training and diet regimens. He said he is seeing fewer people these days willing to invest the time and effort required to run or cycle competitively.
What he is seeing more of are people 45 and older, some of whom ignored their bodies for years but who are now ”trying to get back in the groove.”
They want family activities and simple fitness routines that will help them tone up and lose a few pounds.
And that`s just fine, Lehman said. ”Thirty minutes of moderate exercise three or four days a week just does wonders,” he said.
Lehman said the timing for this week`s publicity campaign is excellent, picking up at the local level where the Olympic Games left off.
Although only a select few have the ability to compete at the international level, Lehman said, everyone can use athletes such as Carl Lewis and Michael Jordan as an inspiration to ”put the potato chips away” and take up swimming, tennis or whatever.
Teams will participate in local park district fitness events as they pass through towns this week on their way to Springfield.
