The Million Step March team didn't get much downtime while in the Triangle a few weeks ago - the halfway point of the 600-mile march. To sum up the busy week of activities, this video takes you to the rally in Raleigh, Structure House in Durham, and points in between.

Posted by Kyle Marshall on May 23, 2008

Great weather, ideal location, lots of activities – sounds like the perfect equation for a successful stop on the Million Step March. And that’s what it was, as about 400 people turned out at East Carolina University to hear the message on walking, physical activity and healthy living.

You can get a feel for the event through today’s story in The Daily Reflector, Greenville’s newspaper.

Thanks to everyone for coming out. For encouragement in your efforts to get – and stay – fit, remember that you can write a brief account of how it’s going through our Share Your Story feature on this site. We hope to hear from you.

Posted by Kyle Marshall on May 22, 2008

The next big Million Step March event is less than 24 hours away. If you’re in the Greenville area, please join us Wednesday, May 21, at East Carolina University’s Student Recreation Center at 11 a.m.

What’s in it for me, you ask? For starters, there are giveaways (including pedometers and T-shirts), plus the full lineup of interactive wellness activities that have accompanied the statewide Million Step March tour. Kathy Higgins and Gary Marino will be on hand to pump up the Greenville and ECU crowds. And there’s a chance to enter a drawing for an iPod.

The timing couldn’t be better. Wednesday is National Employee Health and Fitness Day, sponsored by the National Association for Health & Fitness. Employers have held National Employee Health and Fitness Day observances since 1989 to promote a healthy workforce.

If you go, you can find free parking in the “A” lot behind the Mendenhall Student Center. See you there.

Posted by Kyle Marshall on May 20, 2008

We are back in farm country now… or at least back in the woodsy areas east of the Triangle. Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill seem like forever ago already. All eyes are on Greenville - the next big prize here on "The March." That's the next big stop for the walk team and the area where most of our events will be for a while.

We've come up with our own terms to describe this leg of the walk. "Farmlike" is one. "Forrest Gumpish" is another which describes farms with their own family cemeteries.

I've been here before. Greenville, Wilson and Mount Olive are nostalgic for me in a way. I walked through this area and probably on some of these very same roads back in 2004 as part of my Florida to Boston "Million Calorie March" campaign. I recognize the terrain (and maybe some of the barbecue places... but I digress.)

Of course it's not 2004 anymore. The obesity issue has really come to the forefront of the media and the nation's consciousness since my first walk of the eastern seaboard four years ago. Our campaigns have gone from philanthropist-funded, grass-roots efforts to partnering with a great company like Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Books have been written. Movies have been made (our documentary film "Million Calorie March" premieres at the Jacksonville Film Festival in Florida this weekend!) No, it’s definitely not 2004 anymore.

I'm a Dad now to 21-month-old Desi James Marino. He is what my health goals are about these days. It's not about the "quick fix" but rather about the long-term fix. It's about being around for our kids and grandkids, right? That's the stuff that matters. The Million Step March campaign is about all North Carolinians living long and productive lives.

See you in Greenville!

Posted by Gary Marino on May 16, 2008