Wednesday, 11 July, 2007

More than 38 000 walkers will be participating in this year’s Discovery 702 Walk the Talk, making this South Africa’s biggest mass participation event.

Taking place on Sunday, July 22, 2007, the Discovery 702 Walk the Talk starts and ends at Marks Park Sports Club in Judith Road, Emmarentia. The route meanders through the scenic suburbs of Emmarentia, Greenside, Parktown, Parkhurst, Parkwood and Parkview.

“The first event held in 2000 had about 12 000 entries. Last year we had an outstanding turnout with 32 000 walkers taking part and this year we have more than 38 000 walkers enrolled,” said Talk Radio 702 station manager, Pheladi Gwangwa.

“We believe this to be a record in terms of mass participation. It’s right up there with international events like the New York Marathon, which had 37 800 participants, and the London Marathon with 36 300 participants. This is a remarkable achievement that reflects Joburg’s dedication to fitness, fun and family.”

Due to the record number of entries this year, the starting time of the 5km and 8km race has been changed. Walkers are encouraged to arrive early to ensure that they get to the start of their race on time. There may also be delays during the day due to the volume of people on the roads.
“We need to allow more time for the 8km walkers to access the parking and get to the start so we have moved the start time from 08h30 to 09h30,” said Tanya Harford, race director of Harford Sports Promotion.

“We have also moved the start time of the 5km from 10h30 to 11h30, again to allow time to get everyone in. It’s recommend people make arrangements to arrive at the venue well before their race starts, and to expect the kind of crowd one would see at say an international rugby match or music concert.”

The main parking area is at the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens. Freeflow pointsmen will be assisting with the traffic flow into and out of the venue, and the roads leading up to the venue.

The City of Joburg has put into place Park and Ride facilities to assist on the day. People can park at Nasrec, Northgate, Bezuidenhout Park, Ruimsig and Athletic Stadium at a cost R20 per car and will be bussed to the venue and back to the Park and Ride area after they have completed the walk.

Great entertainment has been arranged for the day including performances by Denim and PJ Powers. Face painters, magicians and stilt walkers will be there to entertain the kiddies as well as a separate controlled kiddies area. People can bring picnic baskets and enjoy the day with their families and there will be a public catering village with food and drinks on sale. However, please note, no braais are allowed.

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