Registration opens April 1 for Homer Steps Up, a four-week community walking challenge that takes place through the month of May.

This the eighth year of the event coordinated by the South Peninsula Hospital, open to teams on the southern Kenai Peninsula. The goal for the event is to help motivate the community to engage in a simple and interactive physical movement challenge.

According to a press release from the hospital, teams of five to 25 members compete in the event by logging walking steps using a wearable fitness tracker, smartphone or tracking or entering steps manually.

Registration for the event is free and the winning team gets their name on the event’s traveling trophy. The top three winning teams also have the opportunity to designate cash donations to a local nonprofit of their choice.

A grant from the South Peninsula Hospital Foundation provides all individual participants reaching a weekly step average of 35,000 steps entrance into weekly prize drawings and end of challenge cash prizes. Free indoor walking will be provided every Wednesday in the month of May from 5-6 p.m. at the SPARC building followed by a free community yoga class from 6-7 p.m.

Homer Steps Up is made possible by support from other community partners including the City of Homer, South Peninsula Behavioral Health, SPARC and SVT Health and Wellness. To register and find more information on the challenge visit www.homerstepsup.com.