2014 walk by the numbers

For the curious, a few numerical facts about our 2014 CWF event …

Number of registered walkers: 538 (male 197; female 341)
Number of walkers completing both days: 391
Number of walkers completing one day: 118 including 67 marathoners

Number of walkers who have participated in all 23 walks: 9

Oldest general walker: male 89 years; female 86 years
Youngest general walker: male 2 years; female 3 years
Oldest marathoner: male 73 years; female 73 years
Youngest marathoner: male 25 years; female 22 years

Number of overseas walkers: 42
Countries represented: Russia (13); USA (6); Netherlands (5);
Canada, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Spain, and UK (2 each);
Austria, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and NZ (1 each)

Meet our walkers: the Dutch Australian Society Illawarra

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A photo of adults and children in orange shirts.

The Dutch Australian Society walkers at one of our past walks.

Another familiar group of walkers is the Dutch Australian Society, joining us in their orange shirts for the 15th time.

“We like to come to Canberra because the walk is very well organised and everyone is happy. The scenery and the weather are also a plus,” explains coordinator Bill Fikkers.

Bill and his wife Johanna, along with two other couples, established the walking group 16 years ago. “We like walking and when we found out about Canberra in autumn we were hooked,” Bill says. “For many years we had already come to cycle in Canberra, because of the extensive cycle paths there, and the autumn colors.”

Members of the group usually walk either the 10- or 20-kilometre routes at our event. They also travel to Bright, Victoria, each year to walk and cycle around the area.

For more info:
http://dutchinwollongong.blogspot.com.au/

Meet our walkers: the Purple Ladies

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A photo of seven women wearing purple shirts on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin.The “Purple Ladies” are a familiar sight to our regular walkers. “We very much enjoy this event and look forward every year to participating,” says member Wanda Stewart. “Although we have reached an age where we could walk a lesser distance, we continue to take part in the 20-kilometre walk on both days.”

Two members of the group have walked with us more than 10 times while Wanda is walking for her gold (year 10) medal this year.

These active women meet at a different location every Sunday and walk for at least 10 kilometres. In addition to walking, the friends participate in many other sporting activities, including running, cycling, netball, swimming, aqua-aerobics, Pilates and bridge.

Meet our walkers: James and Jean Ohl from the United States

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Photo of a man and a woman on either side of a whale sculpture in Mystic, CT.

The Ohls in Mystic, Connecticut.

“We wish we had discovered walking before we retired,” say the Ohls, whose retirement plan is walk their way around the world.  They are visiting our city for the second time this month.

So far they have completed IML/IVV walks in Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, England, France, Iceland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Vietnam as well as in the USA.

Their walking adventures started in 2005 when they attended a walk in Vancouver, Washington [state].  They went to meet the Mayor but also met Australian Max Riley who introduced them to the IML and IVV walk programs.  After encountering Max at several subsequent IML walks, they finally decided to visit Australia in 2010.  The Ohls appreciate the relative flatness of the Canberra walks.

Back at home, they are members of the Vancouver USA Volkssporters, the All- Weather Walkers and the Columbia River Volkssport Club.  All of these groups offer traditional events and seasonal walks throughout the year.  The Ohls complete at least two 10-kilometre walks each week as their minimum requirement for IML events is 20 kilometres per day.

They are also in the process of walking in each of the 50 states, a challenge offered by the American Volkssport Association. In their spare time they enjoy reading, cooking, and, of course planning their next walking trip!

OAMs awarded to Harry and Kathleen Berg

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A photo of Harry and Kathleen Berg with GG Quentin Bryce.

Harry and Kathleen Berg with Governor-General Quentin Bryce in September.

Did you know that Harry and Kathleen Berg have received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to recreational walking?

The honour was announced last Queen’s Birthday (June 2013) and presented in September. 

The Bergs were nominated for their exceptional commitment to promoting the health and social benefits of walking as well as to encouraging international friendship and understanding. After experiencing multi-day walking events in Europe, Harry and Kathleen established the Canberra Two Day Medal Walk in 1992. Their aim was to promote walking, to provide a healthy, enjoyable recreational activity and to encourage walkers to achieve a personal challenge. They also sought to encourage international friendships. This aim was notably advanced in 1997 when the Canberra Two Day Walk was accepted into the IML Walking Association.

The Association has strict requirements for events to be recognised by the IML. Through its award system, walkers are encouraged to participate in IML events around the world. IML walks are held in 26 countries throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas. The Canberra Two Day Walk, now known as the Canberra Walking Festival, attracts hundreds of walkers from across Australia and overseas. Participants choose walks of various distances from 5km through 42km (marathon). Ample time is allowed for walkers to enjoy the sites of Canberra, and even our local walkers find something new to see.

Many walkers return each year because they enjoy the varied and attractive courses, the social atmosphere, the quality of the organisation and the opportunity to meet and interact with overseas walkers. Many international friendships have been formed and Australian walkers have taken the opportunity to renew those friendships by taking part in IML events overseas.

The Canberra Walking Festival has been very successful in supporting the IML’s motto: “May walking bring us together.” Our event has received consistently positive feedback from our overseas participants. In addition, the event has done much to promote the health benefits of walking for all ages, as well as promoting programs with similar aims, such as those managed by Heart Foundation Walking. All this did not happen without a lot of hard work by Harry and Kathleen!

Harry’s personal contribution has included:
–Founding President of the Canberra Two Day Walk Association (the organising committee of volunteers) and occupying that position for 15 years followed by active membership on the committee since then.
–Creating and maintaining a database of participant information.
–Processing all registration and preparing start cards.
–Developing, measuring and mapping walk routes; preparing detailed directions and signage.
–Preparing the Control Centre and all equipment for the events. 

Kathleen’s personal contribution has included:
–Secretary of the Canberra Two Day Walk Association and maintaining an active membership on the committee since then.
–Managing the 50+ volunteers needed to run the event.
–Guiding the planning of the event and related activities, including obtaining government approvals.
–Dealing with overseas inquiries; providing accommodation and travel advice.
–Assisting overseas walkers during the event to ensure their stay in Australia is enjoyable and rewarding.

Over the past 22 years, the Canberra Two Day Walk has been enjoyed by nearly 10,000 walkers. In addition to the Canberra Walking Festival, the Bergs have introduced Internationaler Volkssport Verband (IVV) walks in Australia. IVV walks are available in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Lakes Entrance, Bairnsdale and Wodonga. Harry and Kathleen regularly host overseas groups wishing to undertake IVV walks in Australia. Their promotion of IVV walks here has encouraged many Australian walkers to take part in IVV walks overseas.

Meet our walkers: Walter Swensen from Norway

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Walter will be joining us in Canberra for the fifth time this year. “I like to walk in Canberra partly because of the temperature but also because I love this city. It’s hard to explain why, but I do, and it’s nice to come back again once a year,” he says.

As usual he plans to walk the marathon on Saturday, followed by the 30-kilometre route on Sunday.

No stranger to Australia, Walter lived in Sydney between 1980 and 1991 where his two daughters still reside. He also has a half-brother in Cairns.

In Norway he is the leader of the Tromso Turmarsjhelselag walking club. The club sponsors a summer and winter series of weekend walks, including a Christmas walk on Boxing Day. Club members participate in walks throughout the city and country, including a set of nine different walks totalling 120 kilometres in and around Tromso, “the capital of the Arctic.”

But the cold weather doesn’t deter Walter who regularly walks 20 to 30 kilometres each week of winter and “about double I think” during the summer.

Walter, an IVV and IML walker, has also participated in IML walks in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England, Holland, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland and Taiwan. A sheet metal worker and welder by trade, Walter is also a keen photographer.

For more info about Tromso:
http://www.visitnorway.com/en/Where-to-go/North/Tromso/

The Russians are coming!

Members of Russian Walking Club MV-TUR celebrate their success at a recent IML walk.

Members of Russian Walking Club MV-TUR celebrate their success at a recent IML walk.

Eighteen walkers from Walking Club MV-TUR in Vladivostok, Russia, will attend this year’s Canberra Walking Festival.

Members of this club have participated in IML walks in Austria, China, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Spain, and Taiwan.

We have welcomed international walkers to every one of our past 22 events. Usually we have from 30 to 70 overseas walkers. The country most represented has been the Netherlands, followed by Germany and Japan.

Our first group of Russians walked in 2010. Our highest number of overseas participants was 212 in 2004, when the IML general meeting was held in New Zealand.