NORWALK, Conn. — The Norwalk Run/Walk Club offers residents an opportunity to stay active and connect with others during free, informal monthly meetups.
The group’s next meetup will take place this Saturday, Aug. 2, at 9 a.m. at Calf Pasture Beach.
“Anybody who is interested in adding a social networking aspect to their run or walk, this would be the place for them,” said Will Schwartzstein, athletic supervisor for the Department of Recreation and Parks. “You come in, there is no pressure or standard for how skilled you have to be or far you can run.”
The family-friendly program—which has been meeting monthly since it started in April—brings together runners and walkers of all ages, with participants ranging in age from kids around 4/5 years old to adults in their 70s.
While organizers provide participants with a preplanned route (which has ranged from one to four miles), it is simply a suggestion.
“By no means do you have to stick to that,” said Schwartzstein. “Since we have so many different skill levels and age groups and whatnot, everybody sort of takes off on their own and does their own sort of run/walk. We have some really big distance runners who will go and run 20 miles, and we have some guys who just want to get a one-mile walk in and have a little more of a social aspect to it.”
The monthly meetups feature a brief fitness educational session prior to participants embarking on their run/walk.
Though attendance has varied, Schwartzstein said around 10 to 25 people have participated in each of the monthly meetups.
“It tends to vary each month. I see different faces each month—a bunch of repeat faces—but we definitely see some new faces each month,” he said. “Our first meetup was back in April and that had about 25 people give or take. May was a rainy day, but we got about 15 people, and June went pretty well—we had tremendous weather—but several people were away, so we probably had 10 to 15.”
Though participation is free, anyone interested in the Run/Walk Club must register online before going to their first meetup.
“They just have to sign up for the generalized club; that way, we can add them to our email list; they don’t have to sign up for each month,” said Schwartzstein. “You get added to our email list so, that way, when we plan our outings, we send out all the info to anybody on that list.”
Though the Run/Walk Club has scheduled six monthly meetups from April to September—with the last one slated for Saturday, Sept. 13—Schwartzstein noted that “we are looking to add more times” and any information about additional club activities would be sent to folks on the email list.
“There is also an app called Team Reach, and we have a group on there—everyone can go on and communicate,” explained Schwartzstein. “We post our information for the meetups on there as well, and we are trying to encourage participants to chat on there among themselves, to schedule runs with other people, and build that social network, if you will.”
Staying fit is important to Run/Walk Club member Jimmy Booth, who has been a runner for over 35 years since he was diagnosed as diabetic. He stressed the club’s monthly meetups are a great place “to stay fit and socialize with other Norwalkers who enjoy walking or running.”
Booth, who has completed 27 marathons over the years, added, “When I find people through social activities like a club who enjoy the same personal preferences as me, like running or walking, then I find new friends and I can never have too many friends in life, especially those who can motivate me or I motivate them to maintain a healthy lifestyle.”
To register for the club, visit Home | Norwalk Recreation and Parks Online Services.
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