Walkers come to Sisters for walk event

As the sun played peekaboo through the tall pines behind Sisters Athletic Club early last Sunday morning, patches of warmth were offered to the more than 100 walkers who were waiting for the pop of the gun that signaled the start of this year's fourth annual Sisters Stride Into Autumn Walk.

The event is organized by the Portland-based Wonders of Walking (WOW) firm and hosted by Sisters Athletic Club. According to Sisters Athletic Club part-owner and manager Tate Metcalf, Wonders of Walking organizes races in many places throughout Oregon and approached Sisters Athletic Club four years ago about hosting an event in Sisters.

Metcalf told The Nugget that approximately 75 percent of the individuals who participate in the event are not from Sisters, and the majority are women.

The walking event offers both competitive and non-competitive 10K and 15K divisions for men and women in three age categories: the Open division for those 39 and under; the Masters division for those ages 40-59; and the Grand Masters division for those over 60.

"This year the first place is getting a paper weight with a Sisters logo on it, and then we have glassware for our second and third places that are engraved," said Judy Heller, founder and president of Wonders in Walking.

A 10K run was added to this year's event for a handful of individuals who requested a run be incorporated with the walk. According to Heller the runners were sent out several minutes before the walkers to insure runners and walkers were not on the course at the same place at the same time.

"It's definitely an event for walkers, which is pretty rare, and I think it's absolutely a fabulous idea because so many of the races are set up as a running race and then they kind of throw in a walking division. This is a walking event. For some people it's a race; for the majority of people, it's an event to walk either a 10K or a 15K," said Metcalf.

"I've attended a lot of Judy's (Heller's) races. We like this one. It's a fun place to spend Saturday walking around town, and then we get to do this race on Sunday morning," said Bill High from Pe Ell, Washington, who placed second in the men's 15K Grand Masters competitive walk.

"I like the high ponderosa pines. I like this country and the weather and the whole area," said Portland resident Larry Cahill, who took third place honors in the men's 10K Grand Masters competitive walk.

Heller is a firm believer in giving back to the communities where she holds events.

"One of the things that's important to us even as a business is that we make contributions to the community in which we're in, and so we do make a donation to the Family Access Network (FAN) of Sisters," said Heller.

Since the vast majority of the walk's participants are not from the Sisters/Central Oregon area, most come to Sisters for the weekend.

"They're here shopping and staying in the hotels and eating at the restaurants, and they're exploring our little town," said Metcalf.

Metcalf told The Nugget that one of the main reasons he sponsors the event is because it is scheduled in what the tourist industry calls the shoulder season.