Mayor’s Million Minute Marathon – Reading Challenge 2026

Each year in February, Lookout Credit Union partners up with City of Pocatello Mayor Mark Dahlquist, PCSD #25, and the Marshall Public Library, to bring the “Mayor’s Million Minute Marathon” Reading Challenge!

This reading program challenges all K-5 public schools, charter/private schools, and home-schooled students in Pocatello, Chubbuck and Fort Hall, to read a combined total of a million minutes in the month of February.

7,500 sheets have been delivered to every elementary school in the region, and students may then start recording their reading progress starting February 1st through February 28th. (Teachers may also choose to read and track the sheets in their classrooms). The sheets will then be collected at the end of February and tallied in early March. In the past 4 years, this program has shattered the million-minute record and exceeded all expectations!

Schools can win in three categories:

Most Minutes read by school $500
Highest Participation read by school $500
Highest Avg. Min read by student per school $500

The winning schools will get money, and a visit with Mayor Mark Dahlquist. Whether you come from a school of thousands, or a small charter, each school has a chance to win money for their libraries. Grab your books, track your sheets, and let’s break some reading records for 2026!