GERMAN VILLAGE WALKING CLUB

What Is The German Village Walking Club?

The GVWC is a collection of like-minded people—from newbies to veteran race walkers—who get together once a week for fitness, for competition, and for community. We believe walking is a fantastic form of exercise and we share the opinion that Columbus’ cool urban environment is a fantastic place to walk. We want you to join us!

 

Where, When, and How?

The GVWC walks every Saturday—year round—starting at 8am. The GVWC meets in front of the Schiller Statue in German Village’s Schiller Park. Walkers can choose from 3 to 5 mile routes and are always available for preview. It doesn’t matter if you're fast or slow, a veteran walker or a novice. We’ve got you covered. We rotate routes, incorporating different downtown parks and neighborhoods to keep things interesting. After every walk, the GVWC gathers to socialize at Winans Chocolate and Coffee Shop located one block north of Schiller Park at 3rd and Whittier Streets.

 

What Does Membership Get Me?

• Free GVWC technical t-shirt with new membership

• $15 coupon on shoes, fitness apparel and accessories at Columbus Running Company

• 10% discount on dry cleaning and laundry services at Caskey Cleaners

• Weekly e-newsletters with information about health, fitness and nutrition

• Personalized training schedules and race support for all experience levels

• Special events, including happy hours and other social get-togethers

• High quality workout apparel—emblazoned with the Club logo—at discounted prices

• Some pretty terrific new friends!

 

But Why A Formal Club?

The GVWC has four main goals:

1. Promoting walking as an easy, cheap, and effective form of exercise. When done correctly—that is, walking with purpose—walkers enjoy all the health benefits of runners without punishing their bodies.   

2. Showcasing Columbus’ cool urban environment. Columbus has lots to show off—and lots of interesting sites to see, from parks, riverfront, historic neighborhoods, to new residential and commercial development downtown.

3. Cultivating a community of walkers. On and off the walking trail, GVWC members enjoy hanging out together. GVWC members support each other’s goals, celebrate each other’s accomplishments, and encourage each other to finish strong, despite the challenge.

4. Looking out for our urban community and our neighbors.  Giving back to the people and environment that we get to so much enjoy every Saturday in downtown Columbus, whether cheering for participants in races to participating in organized community service projects.  

    

    

How Did The GVWC Start?

The GVWC was started on three consecutive lonely weekend mornings in February 2015.  Despite the Arctic Vortex, someone (*ahem*) thought it was the perfect time to start a walking club. An outdoor walking club. Turns out, someone was wrong. But, once the snow cleared and the temperature became more temperate, we started moving.  After our first year, we are 60 members strong, we have six Club Partners, and we are a “thing” on Saturday mornings in German Village and throughout downtown. The German Village Gazette profiled the newly established German Village Walking Club in an article titled, "Walking club founder takes exercise in stride at Schiller."