The Walk of the

New Albany Walking Classic continues to gain momentum

In its 2005 debut, the New Albany Walking Classic had 900 participants.

Two years later, it was up to 3,500 – the number at which registration has been cut off every year since – making it the largest walking-only race in the United States.

You might expect its organizers to be surprised at the 289-percent jump in participation over the course of two years. But in reality, that significant spike in participation was essentially what was expected.

“I had a gut feeling that what we were doing was unique and would fulfill a need,” says Walking Classic founder Phil Heit.

This year’s Walking Classic is slated to begin at 8 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, at Market Square. It includes a half-marathon, a 10K race and a kids’ walk for ages 6-12.

Making the event walking-only helped it meet a theretofore-unmet need, Heit says. It also helped make participants more comfortable, as runners can be intimidating to walkers.

“We get them the best value of any event of (this) kind in the United States,” Heit says. “When I say ‘value,’ it is the low entry fee plus all the swag that is given.”

This year, a complimentary Walking Classic windbreaker is standard, but each participant will also receive a variety of other items. Cost to register depends on one’s race of choice and how far in advance the registration is made, but it tops out at $60 and can be as low as $30.

The event’s straightforward focus on health also helps set the Walking Classic apart from other races, and there’s significant anecdotal evidence to suggest that focus has paid positive dividends, Heit says.

“I get the e-mails and stories of how people … have improved their blood pressure (or) have been able to accomplish a goal,” he says. “We get a lot of cancer survivors and heart attack survivors.”

Organizers are looking into ways to more accurately gather data to validate the effectiveness of the Walking Classic and the training leading up to it.

Linda Romanoff can attest to the inviting atmosphere of the Walking Classic – she started participating in it before she had even permanently moved to New Albany. In 2005, having just started a new job in New Albany, Romanoff learned about the inaugural Walking Classic at a New Albany Area Chamber of Commerce event and was quickly encouraged to join.

“I was in temporary housing,” Romanoff says. “I hadn’t even really moved here yet when the event occurred.”

She has been part of every Walking Classic event since, and is part of the New Albany Walking Club as well.

Romanoff had participated in walking events before moving to central Ohio, so the Walking Classic was a good way to get back into it, she says. But the event’s appeal went beyond its familiarity, she says; the training schedule, the camaraderie, the new challenges and, yes, the complimentary items accompanying each race also contributed.

She has even used it to help prepare for other activities –walking the half-marathon to help train for the Columbus Marathon, for example.

“Initially, I just participated in the event – I really didn’t do anything except the event, and then after a couple years, I started volunteering to help at the expo,” says Romanoff. “The nature of it … makes me go and talk to people and try to encourage them to participate as well.”

Though the 10K, half-marathon and kids’ walk on Sept. 11 are the highlights of the Walking Classic, the whole weekend will offer opportunities to improve your health. The Health Expo, 4-8 p.m. Sept. 9 and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Jeanne

TownB. McCoy Community Center for on the path: the classics

Arts, will feature a variety of screenings, including bone density, blood pressure, cholesterol and range of motion, as well as other services such as gait analysis and footwear assessment. There will even be on-site mammograms, courtesy of OhioHealth’s new mobile mammography unit.

A merchandise store at the expo will offer a variety of Walking Classic merchandise, as well as shoes, clothing and other items from national sports vendors.

The Walking Classic has inspired more than just good health in its participants, Heit says – it has also spurred a greater emphasis on health in the community. That emphasis on health has given rise to the New Albany Walking Club, the New Albany Farmers’ Market, the New Albany Community Garden, Healthy New Albany and Healthy New Albany Magazine itself.

“The walk has been an inspiration for all the other health activities that we’re going to be doing,” Heit says.

Registration for all races can be completed online at www. newalbanywalkingclassic.com. Race packets must be picked up at the McCoy Center during the hours of the Health Expo, as well as from 3-5 p.m. Sept. 10. Photo ID is required.

New Albany Classic offers a wholesome day for central Ohio families