360 Degrees and Rising

The Birmingham Walkathon is back! Once a regular fixture on the Brum events calendar, this 26-mile circular walk around the iconic number 11 bus route returned on Sunday after a ten-year hiatus.

Walkers could choose one of two starting points – either Rookery Park in Erdington in the north of the city or Kings Heath Park in the south – both with a GoodGym warm-up to get them going. Jonny in Erdington and Rob and Balal in KH made sure all participants got those leg muscles ready.

As the walkers set off, Amy headed to Winson Green to take her place as a road marshal, while Laura and I mirrored her over the other side of the circle in KH. We could have all done with a warm-up too on this very chilly morning – Laura and I kept warm by dancing to a portable radio (and hot drinks and snacks kindly sent over by Balal!) while Amy eventually benefitted from a change in the weather, having to use her umbrella as a parasol.

The road marshals' job was to cheer on the walkers, make sure they crossed the road safely and let them know that the next checkpoint wasn't far away. Among the hardy hikers was GoodGym volunteer Jo, who completed the 26-mile circuit in just under eight hours!

Thanks also to GoodGym-ers Eve, who helped to promote the Walkathon with a leaflet drop in KH and Stirchley a couple of weeks ago, and Miriam and Annie who shared updates on Instagram. Congratulations too to all the other volunteers who made the event's comeback a success and to the participants who raised money for HelpHarryHelpOthers, the Harry Moseley Cancer Charity.