We spoke with Emmett Mayor Gordon Petrie to learn how he tackled the Mayor’s School Walking Challenge and what it meant to him.

Mayor Petrie: Well, the secret is that you have to plan out the day, that means getting up at “oh-dark-thirty,” and putting in an easy five to six miles in the morning.

So throughout the day, I would do anywhere from two-to-four-mile increments. This beautiful park is right across the street, and it’s exactly one-half mile around, and I always keep four quarters. You know, you start out with four quarters in your hand, then you put ’em in your pocket, you know you’ve done two miles. You take ’em out again, you do it again, and you know you’ve done four miles.

It helped me drop 10 pounds, like that!