It Takes a Community
Healthy New Albany
It’s 1971 and I am focused on being competitive in both finish time and place for the NYC Marathon, held in Central Park. At that time, and for a number of years after, the course consisted of four loops, each six miles long, plus a 2.2-mile loop for a total of 26.2 miles. Sounds simple enough. Just do your warmup; wait until Fred Lebow, the race director at that time, gets on his bullhorn to summon the few hundred runners to approach the starting line; and begin to run at the sound of the starter’s pistol.
And for many of my competitive races, the routine would be constant. Register for the event, focus on my training regimen and approach race day with the same verve as always. On race day, I’d approach the starting line and manage to squeeze past the queue of runners standing shoulder-to-shoulder as I worked my way toward the front. And off I went.
In 1978, I had an epiphany. I am going to create and conduct a large-scale race. Thus, the Olentangy Run became a reality and, in its first year, became one of the premier races in central Ohio, attracting thousands of runners.
At that time, I did not realize nor have an appreciation of the complexities involved in conducting a race, whether for runners or walkers. ‘Don’t you just show up, do the race, enjoy the post-race activities and go home?’ I thought.
I venture to say that such is the thinking of almost every walker who participates in the New Albany Walking Classic®, hereinafter referred to as the Walk. Just show up, partake in the Walk and all it has to offer without giving thought to the hundreds of details and length of time invested in the planning and execution of the event.
It takes a community. The City of New Albany works closely with Walk personnel to make sure that city services and law enforcement are unified and coordinated in protecting all participants. Hundreds of volunteers, a good number of whom are students in the New Albany-Plain Local Schools, gather to perform various tasks on race day well before the sun rises. Equipment must be ordered, giveaways for participants such as medals and garments are to be determined and purchased months in advance, paying close attention to expenditures.
Healthy New Albany
The expenses incurred in order to conduct the Walk are significant. Enough cannot be said about the corporate and individual sponsors whose generosity supports this first-class event. Participant registration fees play a significant role as these fees are donated to Healthy New Albany, a nonprofit organization that provides health programs and services to the community in support of entities such as the farmers market, food pantry, community garden, education programs to people across all ages and so much more.
When you step up to the starting line on Sept. 7, think about the effort undertaken for the Walk to take place. Additionally, thank a volunteer. Support a corporate sponsor. Say hello to the police officer monitoring an intersection on the course. Show your appreciation to Healthy New Albany by participating in its many program offerings. Visit www.healthynewalbany.org and support this community gem with a donation. Have an awesome Walk experience.
Healthfully,
Phil Heit
