Shoreline’s Million Stairs Challenge surpasses goal

Stairs with a view - runner heads down the stairs at
Richmond Beach Saltwater Park
Photo courtesy Shoreline Parks

1,238,834 steps tallied in month of June

Shoreline parks users surpassed all expectations last month by climbing over one million stairs at Richmond Beach Saltwater Park. The City of Shoreline set the million stair goal as a way to encourage park use and physical fitness.

Richmond Beach Saltwater Park encompasses both beach access and a bluff trail. Between the two is a stairway that gains 85 feet in elevation in 188 steps. Fitness enthusiasts use the stairs year round to exercise and recently lobbied the City to include a lap counter at the top of the bluff in order to help track personal progress.

Shoreline Parks Director Dick Deal decided to issue a challenge to park users to see if they could reach a million in just one month. Log sheets were set up at the top of the stairs for people to record their exercise. The response was immediate as people tallied over 110,000 stairs in the first four days of the challenge. Participation continued to increase throughout the month; in fact at times there were so many stair users that people had to wait for space to join in. By mid-month, up to 85,000 steps were being logged in a single day.

The stairway gains 85 feet in elevation in 188 steps
Photo courtesy Shoreline Parks

The million stairs goal was reached well ahead of schedule on June 25. People continued to log their exercise through the remainder of the month and the grand total of stairs climbed was 1,238,384.

Shoreline’s City Council adopted a Healthy City Strategy in 2011 that supports and encourages community members to make healthy choices. Initiatives such as the Million Stairs Challenge will continue throughout the year as the City works to support Shoreline residents in maintaining healthy lifestyles.

Learn more about the City’s healthy City Strategy and find ongoing and upcoming Healthy City programs.