BONNERS FERRY — For local mayors, the annual Mayors' Walking Challenge is a chance to get in a little exercise and help their cities out at the same time.

Bonners Ferry Mayor Rick Alonzo enjoys taking part in the annual walk, saying it helps raise extra money for the city.

"We use the money to help with improvements to the city swimming pool," Alonzo said.

In addition to Alonzo, Geoff Hollenbeck of Moyie Spring also took part in the annual walking challenge.

In Bonner County, taking part in the challenge were Russell Schenck of Clark Fork, Keith Congleton of Dover, Deborah Field of East Hope, Bill Breen of Hope, Lonnie Orr of Oldtown, Steve Geiger of Ponderay and Jeremy Grimm of Sandpoint.

"Not only was the walking challenge an opportunity for the mayors to remain active, it also gave us the opportunity to encourage our constituents to join us to walk towards better health," Dover Mayor Keith Congleton said.

While he didn't get in as many steps as past years, Clark Fork Mayor Russ Schenck said he was able to hit 417,600 steps and collect $1,000 for the city's Parks and Recreation program, placing 29th out of the 123 mayors taking part in the 2026 challenge.

"Not a personal best for this challenge, but more than adequate to collect the $1,000 for our Parks & Rec program," Schenck told the Daily Bee.

Schenck didn't get to finish the month due to commitments out of town, adding that he didn't know if he could have done much more than what he did.

However, Schenck said the annual event, which had a record number of mayors taking part, saw several hit the million-step mark for the month.

The Clark Fork mayor said he loves the challenge provided by the annual event as well as being able to raise a little money for his community.

"I always enjoy these walking challenges because they get me out and moving more than usual," Schenck said.

Sandpoint Mayor Jeremy Grimm praised the annual event, saying it offers a chance to raise money for the city while raising awareness of the health benefits offered by walking.

"I enjoy the collaboration with my fellow mayors throughout the state and am very appreciative of the Blue Cross Foundation for making this possible," Grimm said.

But he added, it will be put toward whatever is the highest need is for the city.

In Dover, Congleton said the city planned to put the money toward recreational improvements in Dover's parks.

In total, officials with the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health said Monday that it will be awarding $113,350 to Idaho communities on behalf of the 123 Idaho mayors who completed the annual Mayors' Walking Challenge in October.

The Mayors' Walking Challenge incentivizes mayors to walk at least 5,000 steps per day in October by awarding their communities grant funds based on the number of steps they walk. Mayors can earn $500 in grant funds if they walk 165,000 steps in October (5,000 daily average) or $1,000 if they walk 310,000 steps (10,000 daily average). In honor of the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health’s 25th anniversary, the nonprofit is giving each participating mayor an additional $25 toward their grant.

Mayors from 43 of Idaho’s 44 counties participated and earned funding this year and the 123 participants are the most to ever finish the challenge. Additionally, the $113,350 being awarded in grant funding is the highest total since the event started in 2014. The walking challenge began as a Treasure Valley-based competition but went statewide in 2018.

Many mayors took time to walk with children at schools and community members to promote the importance of physical activity.

“This challenge is about so much more than steps. It's about mayors connecting with the people they serve and leading by example. We are grateful that we have so many mayors willing to champion healthier communities,” said Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health Program Officer Lisa Bearg.

The Mayors' Walking Challenge has returned $919,900 to Idaho communities over the past 13 years. Those funds support a variety of projects and programs that promote a healthy lifestyle, including playgrounds, physical education equipment for schools, park amenities, and scholarships for youth programs.