What we’re about
This is a group for anyone who loves walking long distances for fun and fitness. Each week, we walk in a different part of Melbourne, and it's free to join! All our walks are accessible by public transport and there's no need to drive when you walk with us. We walk at a brisk pace, in fact, a few people have told me that we are the fastest walking group in Melbourne! But don't worry if you want to go slower because the routes are clearly marked and no one has gotten lost before :) Our 52 favourite walking tracks are available as a book called 'Urban Trails Melbourne' (https://amzn.to/2LcrC6U)
Why do people join this group? The most common reasons are: (a) to keep fit/healthy, (b) to lose weight, (c) to explore different parts of Melbourne, (d) to keep fit in a group, rather than doing it solo, and (e) to challenge oneself to walk long distances.
Running and walking have similar health benefits, but I believe walking is more universal, more doable for the average person. Not everyone can run (due to injuries, age, heart conditions, excessive weight, etc) but almost everyone can walk. Let these statistics from Netdoctor.co.uk speak for themselves :
- Depression: Walking 30 minutes a day can reduce symptoms of depression by 36%.
- Alzheimer's: Walking halves the risk of developing this form of dementia for five years. Improving blood flow and oxygen to the brain through walking stimulates the development of new brain cells.
- Heart: 30 minutes a day of walking reduces the risk of coronary heart disease by 19%.
- Stroke: Cardiovascular exercise helps combat high blood pressure – a leading cause of strokes. Reduce your risk of stroke by up to 27 % by walking briskly for 30 minutes daily.
- Obesity: Walk an hour every day and you slash your risk of becoming obese by 50%.
- Diabetes: If you manage 3,500 steps a day then you will lower your risk of diabetes by 29%.
- Fractures: Four hours a week of walking can reduce the risk of hip fractures by up to 43%.
- Cancer: You reduce your risk of breast cancer by up to 40% if you do vigorous physical activity like brisk walking for between 30-60 minutes five days a week. The risk of colon cancer is 30% lower if you take up vigorous physical activity like brisk walking.
Alright, enough statistics. I hope this community will bring together people who love to walk. Looking forward to meeting you one day!
Fi
For more information, see our Frequently Asked Questions, 'Like' our Facebook page and follow our Instagram page. If you need detailed tips about walking half-marathons and marathons, check out our book at Amazon: https://amzn.to/2CxOjNq (paperback) or https://amzn.to/2NrfEVX (ebook).
By RSVP-ing to our meetups, please note you are agreeing to abide by our Safety Guidelines and the disclaimer below.
Disclaimer: Please note that any training information that is provided to you is based on personal experience and is not to be taken as professional advice. Please see your doctor first if you have not done a walk longer than 10 km before, or if you have a history of health issues. By joining this Meetup Group and any of our Meetups, you (and your guests) are agreeing to indemnify and to hold harmless, the Organisers and Event Hosts of this group, for whatever you may experience or cause.
Upcoming events (3)
See all- Japan Virtual Walk 2380 km! Stage 5 - 210 km (1st-31st May)Link visible for attendees
Do you want to walk 10000 steps a day throughout 2025? Then join this merry bunch of walkers and we will get you there! For 2025, we will walk (virtually) in Japan covering 2380 km over the next 12 months. We will start in the north (Sapporo) and head south to Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka all the way to Nagasaki.
There will be 12 stages, each stage lasting a month. This is the fifth stage - we're walking to Tokyo and Yokohama, the two most populous cities in Japan. We've got 31 days to cover 210 km (6.9 km a day).
Your kilometres will be recorded here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wx3wcj4d97_kWyPQAemv9thm38WH72CBYcf08aGYGio/edit?usp=sharingSo measure your distance every time you walk out of the house using your phone or Fitbit or smart watch. Along the way, do upload some photos of your walk to inspire the group.
Procedures:
(1) Use a Fitbit or smart watch or smartphone and measure your walking distance every day. On the phone, there are many free apps like Google Fit, Apple Health, Runkeeper, Strava, etc.
(2) Please write your daily and cumulative distance walked in the comments section often - this will help us motivate each other :)
(3) At the end of month, please let me know your total distance covered. I will record this on a spreadsheet and repeat this every month.
(4) If you are short of kilometres - don't give up! - you can do extra kilometres in future months and it will count towards the final tally.
(5) If you do extra kilometres, you can 'bank' it and use it for bonus stages or for periods where you are busy and cannot walk as much.
(6) If you joined us late, don't worry - your fitness tracker should have recorded your steps/distances in the previous months - just add these earlier distances to your current walks.
Stay safe and healthy, and have fun!
A bit of history:
Our walking group is based in Melbourne and we did walks on weekends. Then COVID-19 struck. We started doing virtual walks during lockdown. After lockdowns ended - we decided to continue with the virtual walks because we wanted to keep in touch. Our virtual walks so far:
2021 - McMillan's Track (220 km)
2021 - Goldfields Track (210 km)
2021 - Larapinta Trail (223 km)
2021 - Great South West Walk (250 km)
2022 - Walk Around Victoria (2500 km)
2023 - Melbourne-Sydney-Melbourne (2280 km)
2024 - Great Britain Walk (2300 km)
Regards,
Fi
Author of Urban Trails Melbourne (https://amzn.to/2LcrC6U)
and Marathon Training For Walkers and Beginners (https://amzn.to/2CxOjNq)
Follow our group's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/marathonwalking/
Like our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/marathonwalking/P.S. please note this is a virtual meetup.
