More than 50 county residents will be taking advantage of October’s cooler temps to up their daily step counts as participants in Kingfisher Community Collaborative’s first-ever Walk-tober.

The month-long event is designed to encourage daily activity in the form of a friendly competition.

A total of 52 participants in 14 teams are competing to rack up the highest stepcount average, with prizes to be awarded throughout the month.

The overall winning team will be awarded a traveling trophy at the end of the month.

The event kicks off this Thursday at 5 p.m. at Wheeler Bros. Grain Co., with team members receiving their t-shirts and packets and participating in a mass weigh-in on the commercial scales.

Then participants will get walking, tracking their steps on a designated app on their phones.

Special group events also will be planned throughout the month, such as walking tours on the Kingfisher Trails system and indoor walking venues at Kingfisher Public Schools on days of inclement weather.

“Walking is one of the best exercises for any age or body type and has been proven to promote emotional and mental as well as physical well-being,” Blair Coughlan, one of the event organizers, said.

“We hope this competition encourages more people to get up and get moving and we’re looking forward to making it an annual event in our community.”