German club joins World Walking Day today

The Saipan Walking Association Inc. is inviting the CNMI community members to join them celebrate and observe World Walking Day today. The walk will start at 4pm.

SAIWAI program coordinator Hiroko Amemiya said the walk would start from the Chamolinian Cultural Village in Garapan. Participants would have to register at the assembly point.

The walk would feature two courses: a 10-km walk and a shorter 5 km. The 10-km walk will cover from the starting point near the Garapan Basketball Court to the turnaround at the Oleai Beach Club, back to the Chamolinian Cultural Village.

The shorter course is available for children and adults who would rather choose to walk a shorter course. They are allowed to turn around at the Japanese Tank Memorial across Quartermaster Road then back to the assembly point.

Community members would not be alone in this walk, said Amemiya, because the Koala Wanderers International Club from Germany will join the local participants in this worthwhile walking event.

She said the Koala Wanderers’ five-person contingent led by club manager Manfred Trettin arrived on Saipan Thursday morning.

The visiting German group is reportedly excited to participate in the walk, celebrate World Walking Day, and get to know fellow “walkers” on Saipan.

SAIWAI director Mario K. Espeleta welcomed Trettin and his wife Eva, Adam Hiel, Tita Krtamer, and Fraulein Vos at the Saipan International Airport Thursday morning. The Koala Wanderers are also members of the International Federation of Popular Sports or IVV.

SAIWAI director Mario Espeleta earlier said the Koala Wanderers has contributed much to IVV Volkssport and are visiting the CNMI in an effort to expand the sport and form a partnership with their IVV walking friends here on Saipan.

Registration for the event is only $6, which would entitle participants to a T-shirt and refreshments after the activity. The proceeds from the event will be donated to the Marianas March Against Cancer, which just finished its annual march early today.

Like all SAIWAI activities, the IVV will be sanctioning the World Walking Day walk. IVV members will receive credit for joining the event. The IVV has member walking clubs in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Nepal, Australia, New Zealand, the CNMI, and 29 other European countries, including Germany.

For more information regarding the SAIWAI World Walking Day walk, contact Bea at 322-2725 or Mario at 322-8876. For more information on the Koala Wanderers, click on www.koala-wanderers.de.

SAIWAI was incorporated as a non-profit corporation on July 27, 2001 and was established to promote public health through non-competitive walking.