Have you signed up to participate in the biggest walking challenge in the Metro Vancouver region?
Between April 10 and May 14, residents are encouraged to walk more than 30 minutes a day in this year’s growing competition.
“The WALK30 Challenge is back for a sixth year, bigger than ever. New West has established a reputation for walking the walk and winning this challenge, but 2023 brings some new competition. The challenge is upon us,” said Mayor Johnstone. “Walking on more of your local trips means you are reducing the traffic in our community, and taking a step away from pollution. It also has numerous health and wellness benefits as well. WALK30 is a great opportunity to start a new habit, and have some fun.”
Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST) noted that this year’s challenge includes some past participants – the cities of New Westminster, Burnaby and North Vancouver – as well as the addition of the City of Vancouver. Two health authorities – Fraser Heath and Vancouver Coastal – are supporting this year’s challenge.
“We are all committed to promoting walking as a convenient form of transportation that anyone can participate in. It can be as fast and far as you can,” said a BEST news release. “Whether you do one or multiple walking trips in one day, ensuring you get 30 minutes of walking is key to adding points to the leaderboard!”
According to BEST, a total of 1.03 million walking minutes were recorded by 882 participant in last year’s WALK30 Challenge. Its motto: Walk to school, work, shop, or play – every minute counts!
Every year, the WALK30 Challenge promotes weekly “walking themes” to keep participants motivated and engaged by highlighting the benefits of walking, active transportation, and being outdoors. This year’s challenge will focus on walking to access daily activities, walking for health, walking to make community connections, walking for climate reduction, and walking as an accessible mode of transportation.
For more details or to sign up (as individuals or teams), go to www.walk30.ca.
