It turns out that mayors can lead not only in politics, but health, too.

Thanks to the recent Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health Mayor’s Walking Challenge that wrapped up earlier this month, the nonprofit group handed out $65,500 to communities across the state - a good chunk of which went to the Panhandle.

BCIFH Communications Specialist Nick Jezierny explained in an interview on the North Idaho Now Podcast that North Idaho was the most represented area in the state when it came to participating mayors.

“In Kootenai County alone, we had eight mayors — that was the largest of any county in the state.”

Now in its fourth year as a statewide initiative, the BCIFH Walking Challenge asks mayors to average a certain number of steps everyday in the month of October in order to receive a monetary donation, which can then be put into their community as the participating mayor sees fit.

Coeur d’Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer came out on top with 576,698 steps. Ponderay Mayor Steve Geiger came in second with 492,938 and Linda Guthmiller with the city of Smelterville came in third with 468,268.

As someone who tries to get steps in regularly, even outside of the challenge month, Widmyer said he has appreciated this opportunity.

In his first year, he recorded 1.1 million steps and while he wasn’t able to hit that mark this year, he still came out on top among the five northern counties. This was Widmyer’s third and final year participating in the challenge, as he will be retiring at the end of his current term.

Widmyer donated the $1,000 he earned to the Boys and Girls Club of Coeur d’Alene.

Mayors needed to average 5,000 steps per day over the month to earn $500 or average 10,000 steps a day to earn $1,000. There were 55 participants who reached the 10,000-step goal this year, while another 21 reached the 5,000-step goal. In all, 76 of the 83 registered mayors earned funds.

The BCIFH Mayor’s Walking Challenge began in 2014 as a Boise area program, but due to its massive success, the decision to take it statewide was made in 2018.