The Aussies are going to fight back.
Last year on Oct. 3, 231,635 Canadians walked one kilometre at 1,011 different venues across the country.
With that turnout, Canada not only beat Australia, it smashed the existing record of 100,915 set in 2006 by Western Australia into smithereens.
Ontario led the way with 160,048 participants all by itself, and can thus claim the world record over the Aussies, who held the title for little more than a year.
Australia is not taking the crushing defeat lightly. It has formally stated it intends to reclaim the record this year.
Centre Wellington Recreation Director Andie Goldie said last week that his department has received an email from Australian officials stating that country intends to reclaim its place in the record books this year.
Goldie said if that happens, Ontario has plans to remount its walk in 2010 and smash any new record that the Australians might set. Call it a walk-off competition.
Goldie was ecstatic, though, about participation in Fergus and Elora. Wellington County easily defeated Dufferin County in the number of walkers per capita, and Goldie said the Fergus and Elora sites had so many walkers at those two communities were among the top five attended sites in all of Canada during the one kilometre walk.
At Bissell Park in Elora, 1,300 people attended, including 500 students from Elora Senior Public School and another 300 from St. Mary’s school.
Goldie said after that event the turnout at local public schools was phenomenal, and that helped Centre Wellington’s total.
In Fergus at Victoria Park, there were 1,200 walkers, supported by two schools. At other places, students who were deemed too far away from the main sites to take part in those walks held their own and contributed several hundred more to the township’s total.
Councillor Bob Foster announced the In Motion program at the committee of the whole council meeting on Sept. 8. Events this year will run from Oct. 4 to 9 and include a variety of activities.
The kick-off is a family walk day from 10am to 1pm, starting at Elora Public School on Mill Street. It follows the walking trail to the museum and back down the trail on the south side of the river, for a total walk of 6.8km. People are encouraged to bring a donation for the food bank for that event.
In Motion is about getting fit, and the day does not end with the walk. From 1:30 to 2:30pm, there is free public skating at the Elora and Fergus arenas. As well, there is free swimming in Fergus at the Sportsplex.
On Oct. 5 from 9:30 to 10:30am, there is a free circuit training class in the weight room at the Sportsplex. Also that day, there is an open house at the weight room, from 1 to 4pm.
On Oct. 6, there is a free fitness class at the Sportsplex from 9:15 to 10am. On Oct. 7, there is also a free fitness class there, this time from 6:30 to 7:15pm.
On Oct. 8, the community will take part in the International Walk to School Day, and organizers suggest, “Why not walk to and from school with your kids?”
At 11am that same day, there will be a poker walk at Victoria Park, in Fergus.
The week of physical activity concludes on Oct. 9 with a Healthy Active Living Fair at the Sportsplex from 6 to 8pm.
Anyone wanting more information about any of the events can call 519-843-2800.
