| Walking the Indy 500 Speedway |
| AVA Walking Convention, 1999 |
The walking clubs of the American Volkssport Association get together each two years
for a national convention with a full nine days of walking, talking, socializing and
having a great time. Muncie, Indiana hosted the convention this year – home of Garfield the cat and many happy walkers.
The convention events were spread over five states and aimed to please a variety of walkers - with town walks in Louisville, Muncie and Marshall, woodsy walks in Hueston Woods, Mounds State Park, and Starved Rock State Park, university campus walks, and the big attraction - walking the Indy 500 Speedway. Workshops cover topics such as shoes, walking technique, wellness, walking event design and club building.
My convention experience started on Sunday outside of Cincinnati, Ohio at Hueston Woods. Hueston Woods Walk Report and Photos
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Walk on Monday
was the event that excited me the most. Like millions of others, I enjoy watching the Indy
500 each year and was thrilled with the prospect of walking the 2.5 mile oval. We headed
out from Muncie at dawn to beat any Indianapolis rush hour and the legendary heat of the
track. The walk began through Gasoline Alley, an area of low buildings festooned with
signs of all of the products and parts that go into creating and fueling the racing
machines.
We walked
around the complex and along the pit lanes, making our own walking pit stops at the
friendly checkpoints. The convention workers provided plenty of water and there were
restrooms everywhere to serve the huge crowds that gather here each Memorial Day Weekend.
We passed by the Brickyard
Crossing golf course and I was itching to get onto the track.
I took up racewalking a year ago, and was looking forward to racing around the track
– although my personal foot speed would leave any Indy driver laughing.
When our route reached the track at last for our big
finish of walking the oval, we began just past the starting line, headed into the first
turn. I turned on the speed, but the track is sloped on the curves to keep the cars from
flying off and it makes for a "sidehill" gait. I took photos of the skid marks
that head straight into the wall, which itself is unscathed fresh white boards. They must
repair it often. Many walkers chose to walk on the flat lane that trails the inside of
track, while others wanted the birdseye view of walking the high outside of the curve and
"hitting the wall." I stayed low but on the track.
After turn 2 I put on the real speed as the track leveled and I thrilled to the
straightaway. Here the wind also died and the cool morning turned sunny and increasingly
sticky and warm. I kicked my heart rate up to the performance zone, aided by my own
onboard technology, a Polar heart monitor, and received many waves from walkers on the
other side of the fence who were on the earlier portion of the route.
Going into turn 3 I
decided I too needed to see the view from the top, and climbed up to the high outside of
the curve. I could see walkers headed to turn 4 of all ages, abilities, and conditions.
There were children in strollers, energetic striders, walkers with canes, and happy
wanderers enjoying the experience. As we rounded turn 4 headed for the finish line, we
were all winners. Going down the track between the massive grandstands, I thrilled to all
of the hours I watched the racers each year, passing those huge cheering crowds. We had
fewer spectators in the stands.
The Indy track was originally brick, from which it gets
its nickname of "The Brickyard." The original brick has been replaced with the
asphalt track, with only the thin starting line of brick remaining. We took photos of the
brick line and of the winners circle before diving beneath the grandstands to our own
finish. We capped the day with a visit to the Hall
of Fame Museum, where winning Indy cars of every era are on display.
My brush with speed complete, the convention continued on to Muncie, Indiana for more walks, meetings, and workshops which I'll report in articles to follow.
Full Disclosure: At the time of this report, Wendy Bumgardner was serving as a volunteer national officer for the AVA and her accommodations were paid for by the AVA.
AVA Convention 1999 Reports:
Hueston Woods Walk Report and Photos
Walklist Convention Get-Together Story
and Photos
More
Volkssport Clubs
Volkssporting
American Discovery Trail
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
