Alaska, Arkansas Finish 1-2 in President’s Challenge

BLOOMINGTON, IN -- Alaska and Arkansas are near the top of the alphabet in the United States. They also are at the top of the recently completed President’s Challenge national fitness competition.

Alaska finished first while Arkansas was the runner-up in the challenge, which began March 20 and ended May 15. To complete the online challenge, adults 18 and over needed to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day for five days a week while kids ages 6 to 17 needed to be active for one hour a day for five out of seven days.

The competition was based on a participation point value (PPV) system that calculated the number of participants in each state relative to that state’s population against the total population of the country. Alaska had 2,868 participants and a PPV of 320.5. Arkansas had 3,607 participants and a 219.5 PPV.

Rounding out the top 10 were Wyoming, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and Colorado. U.S. territories also participated. The rest of the results can be found at www.presidentschallenge.org.

Although the nationwide President’s Challenge was only for a specific period of time, the challenge is an ongoing program, and individuals or groups can sign up at any time, says Associate Director Jeff McClaine.