MARYSVILLE — Jasleen Kaur made it halfway up the rock-climbing wall at Allen Creek Elementary before she needed to come down.

The wall is an intimidating obstacle to Healthy Communities Challenge Day attendees of all ages, but for a 4-year-old like Jasleen, it’s especially impressive.

As fearsome as it might be, the wall is one of the features of the annual event that’s kept her and her family coming back for three years.

“The kids always have a blast,” said Michelle Kaur, Jasleen’s mom. “It’s also great that we get to meet other members of the community.”

June 6 saw the return of not only the rock climbing wall, but also Greg Erickson, athletic director for the Marysville School District, who again supervised elementary, middle and high school students as they completed the physical fitness challenge, running them through rounds of push-ups, sit-ups and step aerobics.

“We were just slammed with folks this morning,” Erickson said that Saturday. “There’s always a lot of people here, but I think this event is becoming a community tradition. Once families find out the date, they mark it on their calendars. It’s got a variety of challenges for all ages.”

Just as Challenge Day marked its seventh year in Marysville, so too did Erickson recommend that families get into a regular routine of exercise, whether through aerobics, weightlifting, team sports or simply going for a walk every day.

Members of Rising Stars Gymnastics in Marysville celebrated their group’s 20th year in operation by hauling out their practice mats to demonstrate their techniques for staying fit, as well as showing off their talents.

Owner and coach Dawn Mosteller noted that Rising Stars trains students in not only artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, but also wrestling.

“We’ve been doing wrestling for three years, and picked up our first state championship last year,” Mosteller said.

Mosteller appreciates the opportunity that Challenge Days afford her students to bond outside the gym. She also touted the benefits of gymnastics, since it helps train your muscles for most other sports as well.

For details, visit risingstarsgymnastics.com.

Marysville-based Kung Fu 4 Kids teacher Carlton Doup said the event drew “more energy, more crowds and more excitement.” Doup believes that returning attendees drove this surge.

“If you do something long enough, it becomes a staple of your life,” Doup said. “These people wanted this event to come back. Every other kid who’s practiced breaking boards with us this time has told us that they did it before, during one of the previous Healthy Communities Challenge Days.”

Like Mosteller, Doup welcomed all ages and ability levels, and promised prospective students they’d see the physical benefits of martial arts training in their overall fitness levels.

For details, visit www.kungfunorthwest.com/Kung-Fu-4-Kids.

Even as this year’s event drew to a close, 8-year-old Bennet Hamlin was being put through his paces on the rowing machine by Pat Runyon of the North Cascades Crew, which invites prospective rowers 11 years and older to sign up online at www.northcascadescrew.com for the summer session starting Monday, June 22.

“If you’re looking for a full-body workout, rowing gives you cardio and works your arms, legs and core,” said junior team coordinator Jen Huffman, whose junior team runs from ages 11-18. “It’s also low-impact, so you can do it for the rest of your life. We have people in their 80s who have been rowing forever.”

Huffman touted rowing as versatile not only physically, but also socially.

“If your kids are part of a rowing team, they’re all working together in the boat,” Huffman said. “But if you can to go rowing by yourself, you can do that too.”