By Sam Morrison

Moving the battle from the court onto the pavement, the cross-state rivalry continues.

The UK vs. University of Louisville Moving for Healthy Hearts Challenge kicked off Wednesday with a half mile walk around central campus led by President Eli Capilouto.

Employees and retirees of the university met at noon on the sidewalk between the William T. Young Library and Rose Street to hear from representatives of the American Heart Association, the UK Health & Wellness department, and Capilouto before the walk.

“This is the second year and we’re hoping it to become an annual tradition between the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville employees to get moving, as Kentucky is not very well known for the health of its population, so this is one way to encourage that,” said Jody Ensman, the health and wellness program manager and sponsor of the challenge.

The challenge aims to raise awareness of the health issues facing Kentuckians by walking as an effective form of exercise to achieve a healthier heart.

Jennifer Ebert, the Heart Walk director at the American Heart Association, focused on the health benefits and encouraged everyone participating.

“Taking a break and taking a walk is one of the best things you can do for your cardiovascular health,” Ebert said. “Studies show that getting more physical activity can really benefit you in a lot of ways. It helps you lower your blood pressure, lower bad cholesterol and helps you maintain a healthy body weight.”

Capilouto applauded UK employees for their commitment and made it clear he wants the trophy to stay in Big Blue territory for a second year.

“By your being here today, you not only help yourself, but you set an example for those on campus and those across our state,” Capilouto said. “Plus, we do want to keep that trophy. Let’s not stop with Saturday night, this feels good.”

Running from April 4 to June 12, the university that averages the highest steps per competitor wins the bragging rights and the trophy.

“I wear a pedometer, so every time I get away from my desk I calculate my steps,” Peggy Phillips, a senior technician at UK, said. “From my normal job everyday, I average 10,000 steps just for work.”

Participants can even use the UK Health & Wellness website to convert any minutes of activity to steps.

As an added incentive, if a competitor logs 425,000 steps by the enad of the challenge, they will win a free T-shirt.

Susan Oyen, a graduate student and research assistant, participated in last year’s event, and said she walked about a mile a day. But she plans to walk up that number this time, weather permitting.

“How can you not want to walk on days like this?” she said.

Any UK employee and their spouse or sponsored dependent is eligible to accept the challenge by registering at uky.edu/HR/wellness/ukstart.html.