Weigh-In Erie, a new, countywide weight-loss contest will offer prizes to the man and woman who can shed the most weight over the next three months.

Here’s what you need to know:

* The contest, sponsored by Best Fitness, the Erie Times-News and GoErie.com is open to anyone.

* You do not have to be a member of Best Fitness to participate, nor do you have to workout there. That said….

* Best Fitness will offer free weekly classes for participants and will allow them to track their progress on its online site. They will also measure participants body mass index.

* Participants will weigh in once every two weeks at Best Fitness.

* Final weigh-in will be April 7.

* Winners will be the male and female who lose the highest percentage of total body weight.

* Each winner will receive a lifetime membership to Best Fitness, a $250 gift card to Erie Sport Store, free registration and T-shirt for the Barber Beast on the Bay event, and year of free food from Taco Bell’s low-fat Fresco menu.

Are you game?

The competition starts Sunday with initial weight-ins at Best Fitness, 2147 W. 12th St.   Register to participate here.

Props to Best Fitness for putting this program together to make Erieites healthier. I think we runners, of all people, can appreciate the motivation of a little friendly competition!

Weigh-In Erie isn’t the first time Best Fitness has been interested in promoting a healthy community. The fitness center gave free 30-day memberships in October to any Erie County resident who wanted one.

“Our goal is to make Erie a better, healthier community,” said Bryan Tyler, Best Fitness’ operations manager

Wouldn’t it be cool if Erie could become an ultra-hip, uber-fit town full of outdoor sports enthusiasts like, say, Seattle? Hey, if Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Washington, D.C. can do it, why not Erie?