The 2023 Healthy New Albany Walking Classic presented by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center photographed Sunday, September 10, 2023 at Market Square and along the course in New Albany, Ohio. Credit: James DeCamp
Members of the Columbus community will gather for the New Albany Walking Classic Sunday, marking the event’s 20th anniversary.
Distinct from most community races, the New Albany Walking Classic is an exclusively walking race that will take place 8 a.m. Sunday on the corner of Market and Square streets in New Albany, a Columbus suburb. The event is hosted by Healthy New Albany, a nonprofit that, according to its website, is designed to “promote and embrace healthy living.”
Philip Heit, founder of the New Albany Walking Classic, said the event began exclusively as a 10k race — 6.2 miles — but said participants asked for a shorter commitment for the race, leading to the inclusion of the 5k — 3.1 miles — option.
“What we found was that a few years ago, people wanted a shorter distance also, so we introduced the 5k which is 3.1 miles,” Heit said. “This coming Sunday, it’s a 5k and a 10k.”
After spending years as a marathon runner, Heit said he became an avid walker following a string of knee injuries that prevented him from running. He said it was his background of running races that inspired him to start the New Albany Walking Classic, providing a new way to get the community active.
“I ran my first marathon in Central Park in 1970. I was a pretty competitive marathon runner, but came across knee problems, so I was advised to start walking, which I did,” Heit said. “That led to my thinking of ‘Maybe there’s something about a walk that could really be helpful to people and get them moving.’”
Jodi Kuri, ambulatory director of wellness and outreach at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center, said the medical center partnered with Healthy New Albany 10 years ago and has since served as one of the event sponsors. She said she saw the race as an opportunity for the medical center to interact with the community in a new way.
“It was really something Ohio State wanted to do to make sure that we aren’t just inside the buildings,” Kuri said. “We have employees that go outside and work with community members to help them in their overall general health and to help them live a healthier lifestyle.”
Now that the race has reached its 20th anniversary, Kuri said she has noticed a steady amount of growth and anticipation for this year’s event.
“The race gets more people in the New Albany community more active, and, over time, Ohio State has had more employees do it every year,” Kuri said. “We have employees walking from our outpatient care in New Albany. It’s nice to see the growth from Ohio State’s perspective.”
Heit said the relaxed nature of the race means that participants from different age groups, fitness levels and backgrounds can all participate.
“We have Olympians, those who have been in the trials, and they’re much faster than most. I’ve seen the fastest walkers go about 6 1/2 minutes a mile,” Heit said. “If you want to walk for health, that’s fine, [and if] you want to walk for competition, that’s fine too.”
More information about the New Albany Walking Classic can be found on the event’s website.
