GALVESTON, Texas - If 1,550 people walk a two-mile roundtrip on Galveston beaches beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 18, the group will cumulatively burn 1 million calories by the time the last walker has crossed the finish line. That's the goal of this community health outreach sponsored by the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.The Million Calorie March precedes the annual Galveston County Health Fair at the McGuire-Dent Recreation Center, 2222 28th St. The fair is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"This is an opportunity for students, volunteers, health professionals and community members to inspire others to lead a healthier life and have a great time doing it," said Becky Walsdorf, director of community health promotion at UTMB.
Participants will walk in 30-minute intervals beginning at 8 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sign-in starts at 7 a.m. at the recreation center. The event is free and open to the public.
The march will be led by Gary Marino, author of the book "Big and Tall Chronicles" and protagonist in a new documentary, "Million Calorie March: The Movie." The movie will be shown at 7 p.m. Friday, April 17, in the McGuire-Dent Recreation Center Gym.
For more information, or to register for the walk, send an e-mail to Walsdorf, bwalsdor@utmb.edu, or Kelly Cassity, klcassit@utmb.edu, or call 409-747-0821, by Friday, April 3. Participants may also register the day of the event.