According to the American College of Sports Medicine 2008 study, San Francisco is the most fit city in the U.S. (www.americanfitnessindex.org). Sacramento did not make the list of top 16 most fit cities. The only other two California cities that made the bottom of the list were Los Angeles and Riverside.

While the results of this study may be debatable, it poses a good question about how fitness-friendly our city is. How does our city rank in terms of the number of bike trails, walking trails, exercise facilities, etc? There seems to be a huge link between fitness and fundraisers. People will exercise as long as it is for a cause.

Look at the events below that happen either at the Capitol or at Crocker Park:

In May there's the MS walk - benefits Multiple Sclerosis

In June there's the Nike Women's Fitness Festival - benefits WEAVE

In August there's the Race for the Arts - raises money for nonprofit arts programs

In September I'll Be Aware- benefits Albie Carson Breast Cancer Foundation, Sacramento Valley AIDS 5k Run/Walk - benefits local HIV/AIDS service organizations , State Employees Heart Walk - benefits American Heart Association and Light the Night walk - benefits organizations that aim to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma and myeloma

In October there's the Walk for Mental Health - benefits local mental health organizations, Memory Walk -benefits Alzheimer's Association, Walk to Cure Diabetes - diabetes research and research-related education, Step Out Walk to Fight Diabetes - benefits  American Diabetes Association and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Sacramento walk - benefits American Cancer Society.

(A complete list of walks in the Sacramento area each month can be found at walksacramento.org) 

Many people train for specific runs, but had these races not been scheduled, not been a motivator to raise money for a cause, would Sacramentans be less active? Do fundraisers promote outdoor fitness? Are fitness-based fundraisers the most effective way to get the community involved and raise money?