The Mower County United Way kicked off its fifth annual Get Fit Be Fit campaign Thursday with nearly 800 participants and roughly 125 teams.

The teams, which have anywhere from four to eight competitors, will try to lose weight, eat healthier foods and improve their fitness levels. The “Get Fit” portion of the competition is for those who are trying to lose weight; the “Be Fit” is for those who are trying to continue to stay in shape.

Chris Grev of the Mower County United Way, along with her board of directors, created the event five years ago with the intent of motivating Mower County to get in shape. This year’s competition is a slight variation from the past. But the notion that teams will be competing against others and motivating each other remains the same.

This year, the teammates will have to rely on each other for 12 weeks if they want to win any of the three-part competition.

After Thursday’s initial weigh-in, Get Fit-ers will perform a variety of healthy tasks for three consecutive four-week periods to whip themselves back into shape.

Tiffany Miller, who recently joined the YMCA, is competing with an eight-member team — all of them from Cornerstone Church.

Miller, who entered the event last year, likes the process because of its group nature. “It’s always nice to have a buddy,” she said. It’s something that keeps her and others motivated while working out.

It also serves to hold everyone to the competition’s requirements. If team members don’t stick to the competition, they only hurt their other teammates’ chances of winning the competition.

So for the first four weeks, each member of every team will have to run or walk a total of 26 miles, the length of a marathon.

Then, weeks five through eight, they will focus on general exercises and healthy eating. And for the final four week stretch, they will focus on all three categories: weight loss, exercise and nutrition.

Teams have an opportunity to win any of the four-week intervals. By attending fitness classes, completing their required exercises, recording their nutritional habits and shedding pounds, the members will amass points and try to beat other teams.

After it’s all over, the winners can try to stay healthy. That’s because all the prizes will be health oriented, Grev said. Prizes in the past have included items such as fruit baskets, gym memberships, nutritional gift cards and massages, among others that have all been donated by local businesses.

Although the deadline has passed for people to sign up for the competition, the United Way offers the same resources to the public on its website. Visitors can see what exercises and classes the competitors are taking part in, and they can click on links that have professional outside information on exercising and eating healthy.