Photo Courtesy/WV Governor’s Office Gov. Patrick Morrisey unveils Wednesday the first on several Mountaineer Mile trails that will be designated at state parks across West Virginia.

CHARLESTON — Since signing the bill banning certain food dyes and additives from products sold in West Virginia, Gov. Patrick Morrisey challenged the state to walk a mile each day. Now Morrisey is expanding that challenge to West Virginia’s state parks.

Morrisey announced the next phase in his Mountaineer Mile challenge at Little Beaver State Park near Beckley, with Mountain Mile Trails being designated in 32 of West Virginia’s state parks.

“As we’re getting out and getting active, what better place to kick off the Mountaineer Mile than in one of our beautiful West Virginia state parks,” Morrisey said. “That’s why today I’m announcing that we will be designating a Mountaineer Mile trail in each of our state parks that have hiking trails.”

“We want to get people to go out all over the state and enjoy our world-class state parks, and we hope maybe you might want to talk to some of the wonderful park rangers, learn a little bit more about the wildlife and the other incredible parts of our state,” Morrisey continued. “I think this is a great way to kick off our Mountaineer Mile initiative.”

Morrisey was joined Wednesday by Department of Human Services Secretary Alex Mayer and West Virginia State Parks Foundation Executive Director Brad Reed.

“Fitness has always been a big part of my life and…I was in the military for a short while and that was just a part of being in the military,” Mayer said. “But when you move out and you find yourself in an office, it takes that initiative.”

“What this Mountaineer mile has really been is kind of more than just the mile,” Mayer continued. “I could easily find a lot of excuses why I can’t get out there and do those things that are going to keep me healthy. But I think for me, it’s finding that purpose for me, staying healthy.”

“Our hiking trails in West Virginia State Parks are our number one gateway activity, meaning that most people come to West Virginia State Park for the first time. What do they do? They walk a hiking trail,” Reed said. “We have over 1,500 miles of trails across our system, and it’s truly, truly wonderful. It’s just a great experience to get out there and walk on our trails.”

The Mountaineer Mile was borne out of Morrisey signing House Bill 2354, banning certain products from food in West Virginia. HB 2354 bans specific food additives and dyes found in processed food products sold in the state – such as red dye No. 3 and yellow dye No. 5 – beginning Jan. 1, 2028. Restrictions in HB 2354 also prohibit the inclusion of these dyes and additives in meals served in schools as part of nutrition programs beginning Aug. 1.

Morrisey held a press event in Martinsburg in March with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. celebrating the passage of HB 2354 and announcing his four pillars to improving the health of West Virginians.

These initiatives include seeking a waiver for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to prohibit the purchase of soft drinks, increasing access to affordable healthy food choices for West Virginians. Morrisey also announced the Mountaineer Mile at the Martinsburg event to encourage all West Virginians to walk a mile each day. Acknowledging his own wight struggles, Morrisey has been leading by example by also walking a mile nearly every day.

“I’ve also acknowledged that I have to set an example, and maybe I could use the opportunity to shed a few pounds as well. So, I’m going to try to lead by example,” Morrisey said. “I know it’s not easy, I promise you that…I am here to report that today is day 20, and while I haven’t finished the Mountaineer Mile today, I’m about to begin it. For the first 19 at least I can report that we’ve met or surpassed it.”

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, West Virginia leads the national average in several statistics: 41.2% of adults who are obese, 20% of adults who have been told they have diabetes, and 10.8% of adults who have been told they have cardiovascular disease.

“Unfortunately, right now we’re at the bottom of a lot of key categories,” Morrisey said. “Whether we’re talking obesity or diabetes or congestive heart failure or cancer, a lot of things that we think we can make improvements on are, in part, by the way we conduct ourselves every single day. For us to get healthy, we’re going to have to really reverse a lot of the trends and reinvigorate our state.”

Morrisey was also joined Wednesday by Doug Legursky, a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley who later became a Super Bowl XLV champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“We need to take that initiative to be…a little bit selfish in our own needs of getting physically fit, getting healthy,” Legursky said. “Even going out and getting a mile a day, getting that first step, that’s the first step into being healthier. Trust me, I know it’s easier to stay in shape than it is to get back in shape, but it all starts with one step, with one mile.”

Morrisey then led attendees on a mile walk of the Lakefront Trail Little Beaver State Park to get in his 20th Mountaineer Mile.

“We all in West Virginia have a chance, truly, to live longer lives, to be healthier, to spend more time with friends, with family, to live a purposeful life,” Morrisey said. “Perhaps, just perhaps, this Mountaineer Mile may play just a small role in making that happen.”