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Fall is a wondrous time for walkers. The air feels cold, crisp, and clean. The leaves are changing. Best of all is that charity walk season is in full swing. Charity walking is a fun and inspiring way to revitalize your exercise program because it keeps you motivated in your exercise routine while allowing you to experience the joy of helping a cause you care about. Charity walks are also a great way to strengthen work relationships or fit extra quality time with friends and family into a busy schedule.

Make Sure You Can Go the Distance

In your enthusiasm to do a good deed, be sure not to forget the most basic criterion for choosing a charity walk: how well the length of the walk matches your current level of physical health and how much time you have before the race to train to be ready for the event. Most beginning walkers prefer to start with a 5k walk (3.1 miles). Finishing a 5k walk at a slow pace will require you to be able to walk for about an hour without stopping. Studies have shown that people who walk for an hour per day exhibit a decreased risk of developing heart disease, breast cancer, and type II diabetes; so an hour of walking per day is a solid goal to aim for even if you’re not training for a walking event. If you are starting at a base line of 15 minutes per day, five days per week, then it will take you approximately one to two months to prepare for a 5k walk. Beginning walkers can of course start with a big goal like a half-marathon (13.1 miles) or even a full marathon (26.2 miles), but they will need more training time to prepare. To prepare for a half-marathon you will need at least 9 months to train for the event. To train for a marathon you will need at least a year.

How to Prepare for a Charity Walk

The key to preparing for a charity walk is to plan early and pace yourself. You’ve heard the expression, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”? Well, such a journey would also begin with a well-planned training regimen. If you are a bit of a couch potato (be honest), then you will need to be patient with yourself as you gradually increase your walking stamina. Read About.com’s Absolute Beginner Walking Schedule for a detailed guide on how to develop a regular walking routine when you’ve been living a sedentary lifestyle. Another good resource is About.com’s Once-A-Year Walker’s Survival Kit: How to Make it Through a Charity Walk.

Finding a Charity Walk

Below HealthyFeetStore.com Blog has listed a few of the more popular national walking events, but there are thousands of other charity walks held every year in every major city. Also, don’t be afraid to look for walking events specific to your own community. Zoos, amusement parks, and other businesses dedicated to encouraging outdoor recreation frequently sponsor yearly charity walking events. A good way to hear about all the charity walking events in your area is to join a local walking club. Local non-profits that do not already sponsor a charity walk may be open to you starting an annual fund raiser. Such a spontaneous expression of the giving spirit can really make a town feel like a community or a zip code feel like a neighborhood. If you want to go the do-it-yourself route of charity walking and put together an event to benefit a local community organization, be sure to check out eHow.com’s How to Organize a Charity Walk or Run.

National Charity Walks

Susan G. Komen 3-Day – The Susan G. Komen Foundation was founded in 1982 by Nancy G. Brinker in honor of her beloved sister who lost the battle against breast cancer. Although the 3-Day is held in different cities from August to November, many of the walks occur in October because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Susan G. Komen 3-Day is a marathon walk and should only be attempted by walkers in good physical health. Need a year to start training for the event, but want to support breast cancer research now? Buy a pair of New Balance Lace Up for the Cure Walking Shoes. New Balance has agreed to donate 15 percent of the proceeds from every shoe sold from this line.

Avon 2 Day – Another popular breast cancer research charity walk. Like the Susan G. Komen 3-Day, the Avon 2-Day is a marathon walk.

American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer – The American Cancer Society’s breast cancer research fund raiser. Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is generally a 5k event, although some cities may hold it on a slightly longer track. Probably the best breast cancer charity walk for beginning walkers.

American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life – A unique walking event where teams of walkers switch off walking on a track for 24 hours to raise money for cancer research and connect with other cancer survivors and their loved ones. After dark, luminaries are lit to honor the memories of family and friends lost to the disease. Held across the country throughout the year.

AIDS Walk – A 5k walk/run held to benefit AIDS research and non-profit organizations that provide care for AIDS patients. AIDS Awareness Month occurs in December, but because of weather restrictions AIDS Walks are usually held in the fall.

American Heart Association Heart Walk – Heart Walks benefit heart disease and stroke research. Heart Walks are held in cities throughout the nation year round, but February is the official Heart Disease Awareness Month. Heart Walks are generally 5k walks, so they are an excellent choice for beginning walkers.

MS Walks – MS Walks are sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. MS is an autoimmune disorder that attacks the central nervous system. Symptoms may include chronic pain, disability, and paralysis. March is National MS Education & Awareness Month. MS Walks are usually either 5k or 10k (aprox. 6 miles) in length.

Arthritis Walks – Arthritis walks are put on by the Arthritis Foundation to sponsor research relating to prevention, control, and cures for arthritis. Although arthritis walks are held throughout the country year round, most arthritis walks are scheduled to coincide with Arthritis Awareness Month in May.

CROP Hunger Walks – CROP (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty) Hunger Walks are sponsored by the Church World Service, an interfaith organization dedicated to sustainable self-help and development, disaster relief, and refugee assistance in the U.S. and abroad. CROP Hunger Walks occur year round in cities throughout the nation. One of the strengths of the CROP Hunger Walk program is that all of the proceeds go back to the community in which the walk took place to fund local organizations that are likely to do the most good for the community’s poor, hungry, and homeless.

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