Mindful Miles Walking Challenge kicks off at Lincoln Memorial Hospital
[May 05, 2026]
Lincoln Memorial Hospital kicked off Memorial Health’s first
region-wide walking challenge on April 30 at the LMH Wellness Trail.
Participants were able to sign up on the app and receive tech support
for this year’s May walking challenge, Mindful Miles, which highlights
mental wellness in addition to physical health. LMH colleagues were
stationed around the trail to help with sign up, answer questions,
provide mental health information, and give out swag and snacks.
Mindful Miles Walking Challenge is free to sign up on the Pacer app, and
those who complete 50 miles of walking during the month of May will earn
a free T-shirt. Community Health Coordinator Molly McCain said that one
of Memorial’s regional health priorities is mental wellness and since
LMH hosts a walking challenge every May, it seemed like a good idea to
merge the two. May is also Mental Health Awareness month, so the timing
is appropriate as well.
This is the sixth walking challenge that McCain has organized at LMH.
The idea came from the Trailblazers walking program which debuted after
the LMH Wellness Trail was completed. Trailblazers is a program that
schedules walking opportunities at the same times and same day every
week, so that walkers can walk together. This initiative has supported
another of Memorial’s regional health priorities: healthy weight. At the
success of the Trailblazers program, McCain thought ‘Why not add a
challenge?’ Her successful idea has now spread across the Memorial
Health system.
There are five teams participating in the Mindful Miles walking
challenge, one for each of Memorial Health’s locations, and this is the
first year Jacksonville and Springfield will host a walking challenge.
Each of the five facilities had a simultaneous kick-off party on
Thursday evening. At the LMH Wellness Trail, the kick-off involved
stations set up around the trail, not just to sign up, but one for a
free yoga class, a mental health information station, and a
build-your-own-trail-mix table.
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While all Memorial Health facilities are having a walking challenge,
not all have such a lovely and peaceful space for walking on the
hospital campus. McCain stated, “We are lucky to have such an
inviting space to walk with our Wellness Trail.”
Anyone can join the Mindful Miles challenge on the
Pacer app, and enrollment is continuous throughout the month. The
app will be integrating mental health messaging as part of this
challenge and will maintain a constant leaderboard. The Pacer app
syncs with the Apple watch, Fitbit, and Garmin and will
automatically track the miles walked. All steps count toward the
challenge. This is the same app that LMH has used for the previous
two walking challenges. If participants already have the app, they
can sign up for the Mindful Miles challenge using the code “MHwalks.”
Register
here.
Contact Molly McCain at 217-605-5014 or via email at mccain.molly@mhsil.com
for more information.
[Stephanie Hall]
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