When people sign up for one of our programs they do so trusting that we will help them improve their walking skills. Ostensibly that is our goal. In truth, any goal that is your goal is our goal. We believe in your possibility.  We’ve seen it happen over and over - people following through on a goal to be a better version of themselves. It can go way beyond walking. Just look at our coaches. Each one of them never imagined how walking could enrich their lives. In this newsletter we celebrate our wonderful coaches.

Vera Guthrie. Nine years ago Vera was away on vacation when a friend signed her up to train for and walk the Disney Marathon.  What a beast that unleashed! Since then Vera, who had been a veteran back-of-the-class aerobic class attendee, transformed herself into a fitness leader.  Since that first Disney Marathon, Vera has completed countless distance races with her local favourites being the “Toad”, Midsummer Night’s 15k Walk, Chilly Half Marathon, Around the Bay Road Race (no matter how soggy!) and the latest entry to the category of decadent race - Twenty Valley Wine Country Half Marathon. Last spring Vera completed the Big Sur International Marathon – a real test for a walker because of its 6 hour time limit. Prior to that Vera had walked the Big Sur coast four times completing the 21-miler event.  Vera loves coaching in High Park where she keeps everyone in master form going up and down the hills leading to and from the Grenadier Park Café.  Most importantly, there are walkers all over the GTA who can thank their excellent form to Vera’s coaching skill. Ask Vera how walking has changed her life, she’ll list all of these incredible accomplishments but we know that the real change has been the universe expanding development of a community that supports and enriches the lives of each other – participant and coach alike.

Helena Steer. Helena has been walking with WoW Power Walking for 7 years completing 20 various walking events. Helena modestly tells you that 20 is small in comparison to what some walkers complete in a year but when you see Helena walk, you just want to sit down, watch, and wonder why more people do not take up power walking.  Fantastically for us, Helena also has the original inquisitive mind and she has put that mind to becoming a personal trainer and walking coach. If Helena has coached you, you know how much she loves understanding the finer points of walking and all things related to exercise including physiology, anatomy, nutrition.   Over the past year Helena has maintained her commitment to coaching while struggling with foot pain that has limited her personal walking workouts. She has used the time necessary for healing to work on her `bucket list`: Taoist tai chi, painting and swimming. She’ll tell you that the principles and benefits of learning are the same for these pursuits as she applies to coaching power walking – start with expert instruction to develop really good technique; understand that the physical challenge is matched by the challenge to the brain of seeing things in a new way; be confident that small changes and improvements take time to develop; and trust that new challenges can be conquered by setting small achievable goals.

Karin Lynn Cumming. It’s no exaggeration that walking transformed Karin Lynn from a committed couch potato to athlete and coach! Just joining WoW Power Walking and walking several half marathons was not enough to satisfy Karin Lynn’s zeal for the possibilities of personal change. Karin Lynn’s real passion lies in helping others understand that no matter what your age and no matter how inactive you have been in the past, there is truly no time like NOW to get up off our butt and walk it off! This fall Karin Lynn, along with Lee, developed a whole new program for WoW Power Walking called Walk Your Butt Off Fitness 1. The program guarantees that participants will experience real change in how fast they can walk. The 6-week course requires a significant level of commitment as it meets 3 times a week for 60 minutes. First graduates of the program can barely contain their enthusiasm and to a person knocked a minimum of 40 seconds off their ½ kilometre walking pace from beginning to end of the course! Karin Lynn is so excited about the results that she is teaching another session of the program starting in December before she leaves on her annual escape to warmer climes.

Krista Tevlin. Known for her fantastic walking technique and stretching drills; Krista has pursued walking with a passion that even led her to Florida to talk a week-long clinic with well-known Olympian race-walker Dave McGovern. At the end of that week she participated in a 20k race-walking event in which she placed first in her age category! Before Krista began coaching she was leading group walks on Sundays in Toronto. This led to her taking an interest in being more involved helping people with their walking technique. There is a group of women at Sunnybrook Park and downtown Toronto who have seen immense improvement in technique, speed, and fitness. Probably one of Krista’s proudest achievements involved helping blind power-walker Myra Rodrigues achieve her goal of walking in a half marathon in every Canadian province and territory. Krista guided Myra through 5 of these.

Jill Pettit. And then there is walkaholic Jill. Just a little over 4 years ago, Coach Jill was preparing for her first marathon with WoW - the 2005 Honolulu Marathon. With a dedication and tenacity for which she is famous, she and husband, Jay, completed the race in an outstanding time of 6:19:25. Last spring, less than 4 years after that inspiring performance, Jill won the Ottawa Full Marathon walking division with a time of 4:55:55. Improving her marathon time isn’t Jill’s only quest. A few weeks ago Jay and Jill completed their first 50-mile ultra-marathon on Haliburton trails. Yes, folks, that’s miles. And because there is no holding back Jill’s walking enthusiasm, she is now coaching in Hamilton. Jill is really excited to share her life-changing walking experience with others. We are really excited to be partnering with the Runner’s Den in the Westdale area of Hamilton, where Jill will start teaching a Walk Your Butt Off High Performance level 1 course in January! Let your Hamilton and Burlington friends know that Jill’s inspiring and enthusiastic coaching is just a short walk away!

Karen Liptrap. A happy and familiar face to our Oakville walkers, Karen has been taking WoW classes for several years. We recently convinced her that she would make an awesome WoW coach. She has been a most dedicated student over the last few months, shadowing coaches during class and taking her personal training certification. Karen has walked many events and considers some favourites the “Toad” and the Midsummer Night’s 15k. She is a 3-time Big Sur veteran and is registered again to walk the full marathon this year. Her half marathon PB is a soul- inspiring and sole-firing 2:27:42. To top off all of these achievements, Karen, like Vera and Helena, has been successful getting her husband, Stephen, to walk the Big Sur course and a few Chilly Half Marathons too! We know that WoW Walkers are going to love the opportunity to be inspired and pushed by Karen.

As for me, all I can say is that I continue to learn more from those I coach, than I ever teach. Everyone has a story worth telling, and the best thing about walking class is that we have time to listen (well… during recovery from intervals…no talking during work phase!). A thousand thanks to all WoW Walkers out there: past, present, and future for sharing your energy and your stories.

          

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