The Mission and Installation Contracting Command opens team registration Feb. 17, 2026, for the 2026 Golden Sneaker Strong Teams Challenge, the contracting command’s second annual commandwide fitness challenge. Officially beginning on March 16, the contest runs through June 14 and culminates on the Army’s 251st birthday. During the 90-day contest period, MICC is calling on five-person teams to walk or run and log at least 251,000 steps per week in honor of the Army’s enduring legacy of strength, teamwork and service.

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas— As the Army prepares to mark 251 years of service to the nation, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command is inviting its Soldiers and Civilians to celebrate the milestone in motion — building readiness, resilience and strong teams one step at a time during its second annual command-wide fitness competition.

Team registration is open today for the 2026 Golden Sneaker Strong Teams Challenge, which officially begins on March 16. The contest runs through June 14, culminating on the Army’s 251st birthday. During the 90-day contest period, MICC is calling on five-person teams to walk or run and log at least 251,000 steps per week in honor of the Army’s enduring legacy of strength, teamwork and service.

“Readiness is not limited to the battlefield — it is a mindset that builds habits and becomes a lifestyle,” said Command Sgt. Maj. JennyAnne Bright, MICC command sergeant major. “This challenge brings our workforce together and builds camaraderie across formations in a way that directly supports unit readiness.”

Open commandwide, the nearly 13-week challenge is designed to strengthen unit cohesion while reinforcing the readiness that underpins the command’s contracting mission in support of America’s Soldiers and families. As the Army continues to advance transformation initiatives across the enterprise, leaders emphasize that honing strong, cohesive teams remains foundational to delivering agile, responsive contracting support to installations and warfighters worldwide.

Bright, who has served as the MICC senior enlisted advisor since Nov. 2024, said she initiated these annual competitions to reinforce the importance of fit, disciplined, cohesive teams, that stand ready to meet the evolving demands of the Army.

“As our Army continues to transform, strong teams are what enable us to adapt, innovate and deliver,” she said. “We set a high bar last year, and I’m confident our teams will rise to our new challenge and exceed expectations again in 2026.”

Last year’s inaugural competition generated broad participation, with 366 people participating in 65 teams from 30 MICC locations across the enterprise as part of the command’s Walk it Out Wednesday fitness challenge. Together, the workforce surpassed every goal and milestone set by the command, ultimately logging 13,125 miles in 13 weeks—just in time for the Army’s milestone birthday.

Despite narrow margins separating the leader board during last year’s challenge, MICC Fort Campbell and the 922d Contracting Battalion swept all three categories — unit, team and individual honors—taking the Golden Sneaker awards home to Fort Campbell as a matching set. Bright said that this year’s title is anyone’s to claim, as the competition is not limited to Wednesdays. Teams have all week to unlock their competitive spirit and encourage each of their five teammates to get moving.

“Team MICC is going to destroy this goal,” Bright predicted. “If each person on the team of five gets out and walks at least 10,000 steps five times per week, they will easily reach their combined 251,000 weekly steps.”

With bragging rights, the coveted Golden Sneaker award and commandwide recognition on the line, MICC personnel are encouraged to gather their teams and register today.

Connect with the team on MICC social media and army.mil/micc as the contest kicks off on March 16 to watch the command step into this year’s challenge.

About the MICC

Headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command comprises about 1,500 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting goods and services in support of Soldiers as well as readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon. A subordinate command of the Army Contracting Command and the Army Materiel Command, MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, facilitate training in the preparation of more than 100,000 conventional force members annually, training more than 500,000 students each year, and maintaining more than 14.4 million acres of land and 170,000 structures.