PDX to Coast Walk
August
www.hoodtocoast.com

“The Portland to Coast Walk (PTCW) has an excitement that is attached to it,” says Gahlena Easterly, three-year participant of the event, when asked why she chooses this walk over others.
Jackie Jones, long-time walker on the Soleful Strutters team, adds, “We can’t imagine not doing it. During our training something magical happened. We started feeling better, started losing weight, started watching what we ate. We became healthier women, and we wanted to share our discovery with others.”

The PTCW is a great way to accomplish any of these goals. The 12-person walk relay began in 1991 as a sister event to the Hood to Coast Relay. The two events take place on the same weekend. The PTCW is the largest walk relay in the country.
There’s a reason for that, Jones says. “The PTCW takes 12 dedicated people to complete, yet it’s also an individual challenge. I come back because of the excitement I feel after completing the race. I come back because I love the challenge.”
Now in its 16th year, the PTCW continues to gain popularity. “Our goal this year is to increase participation in the walk from outside the Portland market. We’d love to have more Washington (state) -based teams join us. It’s such an easy drive for them, and we know they’d have a great time,” says Gail MacIntyre, executive director of the event.

The PTCW begins in downtown Portland and follows 127 miles of breathtaking Oregon scenery, and ends in Seaside. Those completing the challenge are greeted by more than 95 thousand friends, family members, and volunteers, waiting to launch the biggest beach party in Oregon. For more information, or to join, visit www.hoodtocoast.com.

The Ten Toe Express
www.GettingAroundPortland.org

Walking for short trips is a great transportation option which benefits your health, too! This is the message the City of Portland’s Transportation Options Division is sending through its Ten Toe Express walking campaign. The purpose of the Ten Toe Express is to promote the transportation and health benefits of a more active lifestyle. Kaiser Permanente is a major sponsor of this program.

After successful campaigns in the North Portland Interstate Target Area in 2004 and Southeast Portland in 2005, the Options team is heading to Northeast Portland with its 2006 outreach efforts. The centerpiece of the campaign is the walking kit, which includes a pedometer, the new Northeast Portland Walking Map, a guided walks schedule, and a coupon book for local businesses with more than $100 in savings.

The escorted walks are free and open to everyone, not just Northeast Portland residents. They occur on regularly scheduled Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings and will highlight art on Alberta, architectural history of Portland’s Hollywood District and Sullivan’s Gulch neighborhoods, as well as the stairs and views of the Alameda Ridge, a Pup Crawl, and a Sketchbook Journal walk.

Transportation Options also offers Senior Strolls to give seniors an easy, pleasant social exercise option. The 2006 Senior Strolls are held weekly in several Northeast Portland neighborhoods, and include visits to local places of interest. Strolls will run from now through mid-October. They take place Wednesdays at 10 am. The strolls are designed to show off some of Portland’s neighborhood treasures, from historic homes to parks to commercial areas. They range between 1 and 1.5 miles. All starting and ending points are conveniently located along TriMet routes. These escorted strolls are easy, fun, and best of all, free.

Contact Donna Green at 503-823-6114 for a full schedule of strolls. For more information, please visit www.GettingAroundPortland.org.

Sisters Stride Into Autumn
September
www.wondersofwalking.com

The long, hot days of summer are upon us, and soon enough you will welcome the cool season of autumn. Sisters Stride Into Autumn is the perfect event to leave the big city behind and enjoy the cool mountains. This 10k and 15k walk presented by Wonders of Walking is open to all levels of walkers — competitive, fitness, or social, and is sanctioned by the American Volkssport Association (AVA), a member of the International Federation of Popular Sports (IVV). Beginning and ending at the back entrance of the new, state-of-the-art facilities of the Sisters Athletic Club (SAC), the Sisters Stride Into Autumn 10k and 15k route will guide you through the beautiful Sisters area where you will get a further appreciation of all the beauty Oregon has to offer. Not to be missed is the view of the Three Sisters on the 15K route.

The town of Sisters offers a month-long celebration starting with the Western and Native American Art Festival. The festivity continues every weekend with a Folk Festival, a Jazz Festival, and an Arts stroll, and on Sunday, the Sisters Stride Into Autumn. Race director Judy Heller states, “Sisters is one of my favorite places to visit. The pristine beauty of the high desert creates an incredible backdrop for the Sisters Stride Into Autumn. The friendliness and support of the community contribute to the success of this walk. Wonders of Walking is proud to be among the great events being offered in Sisters in September. It only makes sense for this to be a destination event.”

With an atmosphere of the Old West, Sisters showcases the beauty of the Cascade Mountains and Central Oregon. Sisters Stride Into Autumn is a destination event for the entire family. For more information visit www.wondersofwalking.com.

For Women Only
In the Black Hills of S. Dakota
August
www.leadingladiesmarathon.com

With seven hours to complete, a stroll down the Leading Ladies’ Marathon course is literally a “walk to the park” (Spearfish City Park is the finish line). Getting tired? Lie down and roll. The breathtaking course on the Spearfish Canyon Historic Byway is a gentle down-hill for 26.2 miles, with the exception of two short stretches that are up-hill just long enough to put your toes back in your shoes.

Last year’s inaugural event attracted 98 winsome wenches, some of whom chose to walk, and this year looks to be even bigger and better. Since the race is limited to women and geared to the 19 to 91 crowd, the mix of persons and personalities was wonderful! They came from all over, they laughed their way down the canyon, and the general feeling of running/walking with your sister was one of camaraderie more than competition. With one-red rose, a lemon-scented face wipe, and a tuxedoed/top-hatted hugger at the finish line. All aid stations “manned” and stocked with chocolate, what’s not to like?

The race begins at the Lead Country Club at 6,000’, and winds down the Canyon to Spearfish at 3,400’, accompanied by pristine Spearfish Creek the whole way. What better walking companion is there than rushing water and laughing women? I hope you choose to be a part of the Walkin’ Women in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Disclaimer: If you feel like bursting into a short trot now and again, the race committee takes no responsibility. Sometimes the magic of the Canyon seduces even the most dedicated pedestrians. For more information visit www.leadingladiesmarathon.com.
— Elaine Doll-Dunn, Psy.D.
Race Director

Heart Walks Enjoy Record Success In
Portland and Vancouver
www.americanheart.org

Nearly 5,000 people participated in the American Heart Association’s Heart Walks in Portland and Vancouver this year, raising a record $335,000 for programs that fight heart disease and stroke in our community.

Cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, remain the No. 1 killer in the Pacific Northwest and across the country. Each year the 5k walk (and 1k walk for survivors) draws participants of all ages from across the region to make a difference.

In addition to raising money to fight heart disease, the walks also give the participants a chance to take important steps toward their own heart-healthy life. Wrapping along the banks of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, both routes allow walkers to get their entire families active, underscoring the importance of physical activity in a healthy family.

The weather cooperated for both events this year, providing sunshine for both walks. Everyone enjoyed free health screenings, sandwiches from Subway, music, prizes, and tons of fun giveaways from the walk’s sponsors.

Honored for their fundraising efforts this year were:
• Dawn Moorefield and Pat and Bill Van Ness, Top Walkers
• PGE Heartwarmers and Team Sam, Top Teams
• PGE and Southwest Washington Medical Center, Top Companies

The Heart Walks were locally sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, Southwest Washington Medical Center, AstraZeneca, Pacificare, Providence Health System, OHSU, Legacy Health System Salmon Creek, Cascade Heart, Clark County Health Department, and First Independent Bank. Media sponsors included K-Hits, Mix 107.5, The Business Journal, and Walk About magazine.

For more information call 1-800-452-9445 or visit www.americanheart.org.