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Hutson, trekkers arrive in Harrisburg

By Alison Hawkes For The 2 min read

HARRISBURG – The “Walk the Talk” awareness trekkers arrived at the state Capitol Tuesday in the form of five sweating and smiling fitness buffs, who pounded a cumulative 181 miles of pavement from Uniontown. The group, led by physical education instructor Jess Hutson from Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, was seeking to raise public and legislative awareness of obesity, particularly among children.

Each of the five walkers, trailed by support vans, actually walked around 40 miles each through the picturesque countryside in a “tag-team” approach over the course of the five walking days.

Janice Collins, one of Hutson’s students this fall, said she should be an inspiration to youth who are not getting enough exercise.

“If I can do this at 49, they can definitely go out and do it,” she said.

Hutson said one of the school districts in Fayette County (which he declined to name) provides only 35 minutes of exercise per week for its elementary school students, far less than what’s needed.

Fayette County has among the highest obesity and diabetes rates in the state.

“We would hope someone would push forward for more mandated physical education in grade schools because there’s so little,” Hutson said.

The hardest part of the trek was 3.5 miles straight uphill to the summit of Tuscaura Mountain in Franklin County near Everett, Hutson said.

“No one got physically tired from walking,” Hutson said, noting that 20 miles was the upper limit per day for a walker. “We had other things, nicks and bumps and bruises.”

The group was met by Tim Mahoney, a Democratic candidate for the 51st House seat, and a representative from the office of Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll.

The walkers included Hutson, his brother Bill, Collins, her daughter Ashley Collins, and Phil Michael, a middle school teacher from a district near Pittsburgh.

Hutson said he hopes to do the walk again next year.

They left Uniontown Friday morning, following Route 119 through Connellsville and then north on Route 711.

Alison Hawkes can be reached at 717-705-6330 or ahawkes@calkins-media.com.

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