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Get Healthy De Soto

…having a long-lasting positive impact on the health and safety of the De Soto community by encouraging healthy lifestyle choices, through programs promoting physical activity, healthy nutrition, weight control and disease and injury prevention.

Winter Flakes 2022

A couple of needed changes for Winter Flakes

The same great race you know about has a couple of changes for 2022. You can still register for a 10K, 5K, or 1-mile distance, and walkers are always welcome. The route will be the same as in years past, but we’re scheming to change that in 2023.

There is a price increase for some runners and walkers, depending on age. What can we say? It was time. We’ve been the cheapest race around, and with increased costs this year, the decision was made to increase the entry fee by $5. However, that doesn’t apply to kids!

No, the really good news is for parents registering kids under the age of 12. If you register your little kids online, a discount is applied, so the entry fee is only $10 for each! And just like with adult registration, t-shirts are guaranteed for those who register before the deadline of February 11th.

Register!

Couch to 5K runs again

Yes, it’s a training program!

Back for its fourth installment is the Couch to 5K Training program. And here’s why you should not immediately think this isn’t for you and stop reading: it is designed for people who are not currently physically active. Again: your activity level to start this program is really zilch! It’s okay if you have physical activity built into your routine right now too, but it really focuses on you couch potatoes (AKA: sloths); those of us who are inactive.

A brief overview, so you know what you’re getting into

Couch to 5K is a program that includes gradual increases in physical activity over the course of 8 weeks. It culminates with the Winter Flakes 5K Race on February 26, 2022. It begins on December 29, 2021, but the commitment those first few days isn’t substantial. In fact, the gradual increases make much of the training program very pleasant, and you’ll be amazed at how your endurance and strength improves throughout the training.

One key element in all of this is accountability. We don’t just throw you to the wolves with a training schedule and a smile. Nope! We will gather and run together! We’ll be meeting outside in the artic! Well, it will likely feel like the artic some days because it is a training program that runs through January and February, but don’t let that deter you. We have had Winter Haters participate and complete the program without issue. (We’ll give you tips for surviving the chilly weather too.)

Not only will you go through this experience with a group, but you’ll have fearless leaders too. Megan will send reminders each day, along with some tips, recipes, and other goodies. We’ll also schedule the gatherings each week, which will vary depending on weather and schedules. Most of the time, we try to meet on Saturdays at Walther Park. This is good because it allows us to train on the same course that the race will follow.

Now, if you aren’t a runner, that’s okay too. This is for people who want to give it a try and for those who have fallen off the running wagon, so to speak. This is your chance to experience running, meet new people, and strive to reach new health goals in 2022, which is something everyone is looking forward to doing!

In fact, if the pandemic has taught us nothing, we should have learned by now that we need to take better care of ourselves!

The Couch to 5K program costs $50 and includes the Winter Flakes 5K registration and t-shirt. Participants will receive a stylish accessory and other participation prizes along the way! The weekly gatherings will be weather permitting, but it is the Winter Flakes Race! Youth must have parental consent.

All proceeds benefit Get Healthy DeSoto programming, including trail development, Walking School Bus, community gardens, and more. Ready to register? Complete the form below or register online.

Register Online

Paper Form

*As always, please consult with your healthcare provider before starting any nutritional or physical programs if you have any previous, current or possible medical conditions. These guidelines, recommendations and suggestions are not stated to cure, treat or prevent any diseases or conditions.

Brought to you by Get Healthy De Soto and the Jefferson County Health Department…working together for better health.

Winter Flakes Couch to 5K

Have fun getting fit with the Winter Flakes Couch to 5K program. Meet up with friends and family and achieve your 2022 health goals!

This program is designed for the novice runner*. No pre-training is necessary, since it is designed for the “couch potato”.

The 2022 Winter Flakes Couch to 5K program starts Wednesday, December 29, 2021. This eight-week training program involves a weekly session with a running coach, a training plan, and weekly communication with nutrition tips and information. The cost is $50 and includes the Winter Flakes 5K registration and t-shirt. Participants will receive a stylish accessory and other participation prizes along the way! The weekly training sessions will be at Walther’s Park, depending on weather. Youth must have parental consent.

The training sessions will culminate with the Winter Flakes 5K run/walk on Saturday, February 26, 2022! All proceeds benefit Get Healthy De Soto programming, including trail development, Walking School Bus, community gardens, and more. Ready to register? Complete the form below or register online.

Register Online
Paper Form

*As always, please consult with your healthcare provider before starting any nutritional or physical programs if you have any previous, current or possible medical conditions. These guidelines, recommendations and suggestions are not stated to cure, treat or prevent any diseases or conditions.

Brought to you by Get Healthy De Soto and the Jefferson County Health Department…working together for better health.

Celebrating Walther Park

Want to have some fun in Walther Park? The park turns 60 this year, and we’re working with the library to host a fun run. (You can fun walk if you want.) This isn’t like an ordinary race though.

If you want to know what working with the library means, here you go!

You’ll have an opportunity to learn a bit about the Walther Family along the route. Not only that, but learning can help you with your finishing time! That’s right. There will be a quiz at the end of the race. Depending on your knowledge and performance on the quiz, you can shave some time off your finishing time. This means your brain can improve your chances of winning a prize.

The top two males and females will receive a bowl (pictured above) made by local artisan Terry Eiler. He does beautiful work and donated these to support the race. Even if you don’t win a bowl, all participants will get a commemorative medal in their race bag and all the fun that goes with a local run about town.

This 5K and 1-mile fun run will be Saturday, July 17, 2021 at 8 AM. Registration is just $20 until July 1, 2021. Registration on or after July 1 is $25. Registration for kids 12 and under is $10 until July 1 and $15 after that.

Thank you for all of your support, and remember that amateurs are not just welcomed; they’re embraced!

Register Now
Proudly sponsored by Twin City Toyota!
and Impact Nutrition!
and SMCI!

Winter Flakes Recap

Saturday’s Winter Flakes Race was a huge success. Over 180 runners signed up to pound the streets of DeSoto with 36 completing the 10K distance! Although there were some hiccups (like a house fire a block from the 10K route), no runners were lost, there were no injuries in the house fire, and everyone had a great time running the race.

Thank you to all the runners and walkers who took part in the race. We had great weather and a great crew of people who came out. Results are available here, but just to give you some idea:

  • Austin Crowe was the man on fire Saturday morning. He completed the 10K in 32:29!
  • Of the 36 runners who completed the 10K, 18 of them were women between the ages of 30 and 48!
  • Terry Wilhelm completed the 10K too. He did it in 1:02:36. That might not seem impressive, but he’s in the 70+ age class!
  • The fastest 5K lady finished in 21:46. Jennifer Cox was super fast on Saturday morning, and she falls into the 30-39 age class!

This sort of race takes a lot of coordination, and this year’s Race Coordinator did a great job. Lynnsie Kerperien oversaw the details of the race as our new Coordinator and kept all the race pieces running smoothly. If you know her, give her a pat on the back because she did fabulous work.

Special thanks also goes to Angela Edwards, who oversaw recruitment and organization of volunteers. These volunteers are incredibly important to the race because they help us keep the number of lost runners down to a minimum. No one wants to be “that” race, and Angela ensured that we had volunteers at the turns and that drivers were cautious. The train…well, we can’t do anything about the train!

Volunteers this year included: Matt Kerperien, Kim May, Stephanie Miller, Michelle Ide, Amy Burch, Carrie Weatherholt, Aaron Watkins, Victoria Dickinson, Nathan Dickinson, Dave Brown, Chris Miller, Marie Moore, Cyndi Cox, David Walters, Catilynn Hensley, Holly Pesek, Janet Schmidt, Cara Ahern, Nina Abernathy, Tom Mazurek, and Nick Edwards. They were great to stand out in the cold during the race and direct and cheer on runners. Thank you for your time and diligence to encouraging and keeping our runners safe!

And let’s not forget the sponsors that make it all possible!

If you didn’t pick up your race packet or medal, please contact us. We can’t really afford shipping items, but we’d love to be able to get those to you if we can.

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Contact

[email protected]
314-471-3681

Mailing Address

1002 Rock Rd.
DeSoto, MO 63020