By MADDY VITALE
Ocean City residents are joining a new walking club to not only get fit or stay fit, but also forge new friendships.
The newly formed Ocean City Walking Club meets weekly on the Boardwalk outside the Music Pier at 9 a.m. Friday mornings and then heads down the boards.
The Ocean City Healthy Living Advisory Council created the group as a way for people of all ages to get healthy and meet new friends.
Dan Kelchner, director of the city’s Community Services Department, is also the liaison to the Healthy Living Advisory Council.
He noted that the idea to create a walking club was a “collaborative effort.”
Kelchner also touched upon the many benefits of the club.
“There is the physical side and the healthy side,” he said of the weekly walks. “But there are also the social and emotional aspects that are also beneficial.”
He said that the volunteers are really leading the way to grow the club, which started in April.
Lisa Walsh is a board member on the Healthy Living Advisory Council. Walsh, a personal trainer who splits her time between her Ocean City and Bucks County, Pa., homes, said the new club is already gaining momentum among all ages.
“We have a lot of walkers. People are excited about this club and for it to continue after the summer,” Walsh said.
She added that as long as there are volunteers to help lead the group, the club will continue after the summer.
Similar to what Kelchner emphasized, Walsh said that the club is meant to promote healthy bodies and minds.
“As a personal trainer, people always ask me what they can do to improve their health and fitness,” Walsh noted. “I just tell them to be consistent with walking. You don’t need equipment. And being outside in nature is the best way to go for a walk. We want to promote healthy living and we want to do that with the walking club.”
The Ocean City Boardwalk is about 2.5 miles long. Round trips are nearly 5 miles and take about 90 minutes, according to a city news release.
Participants can stop at any point along the route. After Memorial Day Weekend, the weekly walks will begin at 8 a.m.
Walsh said that since the COVID-19 pandemic, many people still work remotely. That, she said, can cause loneliness.
“We have a lot of remote workers now, and men and women who stay home to take care of their kids,” she said. “There are also a lot of seniors in Ocean City.”
The club brings the participants together and Walsh and other volunteers help get the conversations going that ultimately lead to some fun walks, she said.
“When we first meet I introduce myself and I give them some questions to ask someone in the group,” Walsh said. “We stop every quarter mile to speak to different people to get to know them. We really learn about each other.”
The Healthy Living Advisory Council is gearing up for the Health and Fitness Expo, an annual event that showcases healthy living. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Music Pier on Saturday, June 17.
There will be many local health and wellness vendors. There will be yoga and fitness class demonstrations and some activities for the kids. It is a free event and vendors are still able to sign up as long as they have some affiliation with health and wellness.
For more information, email recreation@ocnj.us.
