WalkingBuddies.com

Written by Letty Zook

The Mid-Florida Milers invite you to walk just for the fun of it! Our walking club is a member of the American Volkssport Association (AVA), an umbrella organization made up of more than 400 local walking clubs nationwide that promote recreational walking. We call our walks “volksmarches” which means “people-walks.” That’s what they are-walks for everyone, of any age.

Walking is the most natural and probably most ancient way to stay fit. Non-competitive walking demands no special training or expensive equipment. Age isn’t an issue since it’s the walking that matters not the time it takes to get somewhere. You only need a comfortable pair of shoes and the desire to view your surroundings from a less hectic vantage point than an automobile.

During winter season, our club holds monthly single-day events with a window start time (usually between two to three hours in the morning) and an afternoon finish time. During the summer months we hold weekly walks with a shorter, earlier start time. You can choose your own pace. Walks are normally 10-kilometer (6.2 miles) long, though shorter 5K routes are often offered. Our trails are diverse: natural, urban, historical, scenic. One event might take you shady oak hammocks in a state park, while another will give you a close-up view of Downtown Orlando. After a single-day event, we often offer a lunch (for a nominal fee) where you can discuss the trail and get to know other walkers.

In addition to one-day events, we offer year-round trails that can be walked almost any day of the year. The start/finish points of these walks are found at various public places throughout the area. When you get to the start point, you need only ask for the “Walking Club Box” and you’ll be given or directed to a self-serve walk-box that gives you all the information you need.

For instance, our Lake Buena Vista year-round walk starts at Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf. After registering, you’ll stroll under the shade trees of Hotel Plaza Boulevard to Buena Vista Drive. The route loops through Disney’s West Side and Downtown Disney where you can stop for a snack and do a little window-shopping.

Besides Lake Buena Vista, Mid-Florida Milers have year-round walks available in Maitland, Orlando, Winter Park, Celebration, Winter Garden, and Brooksville. The club also sponsors three year-round walks in Palm Beach County. If you want more trails, you can visit the websites of our sister AVA clubs that are located throughout central Florida, along both coasts, and as far north as Pensacola.

You do not have to be a member of a local club to participate in our walks. The Mid-Florida Milers’ one-day events and year-rounds can be walked for free by non-credit walkers. (Some clubs charge all walkers $3.)Participants are welcome, though, to purchase an award to commemorate their walk. Most club members buy record books in which they keep stamped records of their walks. After certain milestones they submit their books to the national organization (AVA) and receive special award pins. You do not have to join a local club in order to participate in the AVA award system.

Come walk with us and discover all sorts of places you’ve never noticed as you drive or ride from place to place. Come meet other friendly people who enjoy walking to stay fit, but also enjoy stopping to admire a view and pausing to chat with a fellow volksmarcher.

The American Volkssport Association is part of the International Volkssport Verband (IVV), a body coordinating over 20 countries involved in walking events. Volkssports (people-sports) promote noncompetitive walk, bike, skate, and swim events for health and recreation throughout the world. For more information about the national organization, visit www.ava.org.

For more information about Florida Volksmarching, visit
Florida Volkssport Association - our state web site. Here you will find links to all the clubs in Florida.

You can visit the website of Orlando’s local club, the Mid-Florida Milers, at www.midfloridamilers.org. Click on this web site to find our one-day walks and our ‘year-round’ walks that you can walk on your own most any day of the week!

You can contact the Mid-Florida Milers Walking Club by email at midfloridamilers@hotmail.com

Click here to visit the American Volkssport Association.