Hundreds of Vienna Kids Gear Up For Bike/Walk Challenge

Karen Marlo has always had an interest in keeping kids active. But the odds seemed stacked against making fitness a part of her children's most fundamental routine: going to and from school.

Marlo, a working mom, has two kids in two different schools. Her son takes the bus to Westbriar Elementary in part because it's the safest route: There aren't sidewalks between the family's home in Northeast Vienna and the school just off of Old Courthouse Road, a busy commuter cut-through.

But last year, Marlo recommitted to the effort, finding a safe route to bike to school with her son and scheduling the trip with enough time to return home and head to work. Soon, it was their new routine.

"Having to find the time isn't easy," she said. "It's part of the issue for a lot of people."

This year, Marlo wanted to bridge the gap for other families, too. With the help of the school's PTA and principal, and other local advocates, she started a weekly walk and bike to school day — and for the first time has committed the school into this year's Walk/Bike Challenge, a Vienna-wide pledge between many of the town's elementary schools to ditch the cars and use two wheels or feet to get to class.

The goal of the challenge, which falls in line with the National Bike to School Day each year, is to have the most student walkers or bikers, proportionally, by the end of the week.

But it also aims to show families in one of the most gridlocked areas of the country that it's possible to use walking or biking as a way to get around any day of the year.

"We're just trying to build that community and get kids excited to participate," Marlo said of her first year in the challenge.

That was the goal five years ago when Jeff Anderson, the Safe Routes to School representative for Wolftrap Elementary School and the leader of Wolfie's Bike Train, helped start the challenge between a handful of the area's schools.

Last year, walked, biked or scootered to school on the last day of the challenge alone.

This year, the challenge will include seven schools — the most to ever participate in a single year.

Along with Westbriar Elementary School, Flint Hill Elementary School is joining the challenge. Wolftrap, Vienna, Louise Archer and Marshall Road and Cunningham Park all return as veterans.

The end of the week promises trophies for schools in three categories — Rookie of the Year, Bike Winner and Overall Challenge winner — but the real payoff is what kind of momentum it has built in the walk to school movement, organizers say.

In a single day last June, 128 kids at Vienna Elementary biked to class to set a new record.

Several schools now have regular weekly walk and bike to school days.

And this year, nine Reston schools were inspired to join together for Bike to School Day, too.

Walking, for many in Vienna, has become a "community gathering," McCall told Patch last year, noting teachers reported that children arrived in class focused and ready to take their SOLs.

"School could be like this every day if we encourage more children to walk and bike on a regular basis," he wrote.

Patch will provide daily coverage of the Bike/Walk Challenge next week. Stay up to date on all the tallies by subscribing to our free daily email newsletter, or checking in on Facebook and Twitter.

Past Coverage: Bike/Walk Challenge

Do you walk or bike to school with your kids? Why or why not? Tell us in the comments.