HealthCode, SXSW EDU Issue "Walking Challenge"

SXSW EDU Participants Urged to Hit the Pavement in Four-Day Conference

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthCode and SXSW EDU are challenging everyone to hit the pavement in a Walking Challenge during the conference that will run from March 9 to March 12.

HealthCode's virtual event is open to the entire SXSW EDU community, including participants, volunteers and SXSW EDU employees.

"We are looking forward to working with SXSW EDU to help foster healthy habits among the conference community as participants move about downtown Austin,'' said Steve Amos, CEO and founder of the nonprofit HealthCode. "SXSW EDU can entail a lot of walking. The idea with the challenge is helping to make walking between events fun.''

Julia Shatilo, Senior Director of SXSW EDU, said: "We know that physical activity is crucial to a healthy lifestyle. The SXSW EDU Walking Challenge makes it fun to track our steps as we enjoy the conference.''

SXSW EDU challenge participants sign up on the SXSW EDU registration page and enter their personal mileage goal for the challenge. Throughout the challenge the leaderboard is updated with miles achieved as participants walk – or run, cycle or swim to -- meet their goals.

Participants can start the challenge at any time during conference and still enter all physical activity achieved. Participants can enter activity manually on the HealthCode activity tracker or automatically sync activity data with it with various activity apps and wearable activity devices.

Participating in HealthCode programs is free. For every mile walked in the challenge, HealthCode will receive $1 from a private donor to support HealthCode's mission and continue to provide its programs free to schools and educators to promote wellness.

In addition to the walking challenge, HealthCode is hosting a meetup – "Health Moonshot: Healthy Students, Educators, Communities" – at 10 a.m. on March 12 at the start of the SXSW conference. Hosted by Amos, the meetup is intended to unite a cross-sector of changemakers to improve the health of educators, students and the nation.

Amos said: "In a sense, HealthCode is coming full circle this year at SXSW. It was in 2013 at the SXSW conference that we first heard the phrase 'sitting is the new smoking,' which inspired the launch of our first virtual challenge, Million Mile Month, in 2014. We are proud to now be included in conference programming.''

HealthCode's programs are designed to raise awareness of the benefits of an active lifestyle while making developing healthy habits fun. Since its first virtual challenge in 2014, more than 201,000 registrants have participated in HealthCode's virtual activity events, achieving nearly 21 million miles and more than 329 million minutes of physical activity and burning 2.4 billion calories.

About HealthCode
HealthCode, a nonprofit based in Austin, Texas, is dedicated to empowering people to live healthier, happier lives through education and encouraging physical activity, promoting healthy eating habits, supporting the environment and cultivating community connections. For more information visit www.healthcode.org.

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SOURCE HealthCode