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Largest number of people walking-Canada sets
world record
[May
28] TORONTO,Canada--has set the World Record for the most
number of people walking a kilometre at the same time: 231,635
Canadians walked 1 kilometre at 1,011 different venues.
 "By
establishing a new World Record for walking, Canada is setting
an international example of getting people active," said Ontario
Minister of Health Promotion Margarett Best. "Events like
these help to bring us closer to meeting our objective of
increased physical activity and better health across the province."
"The World Record Walk surpassed our highest
expectations," says Jacky Kennedy, Director of Walking Programs
for Green
Communities Canada. "The enthusiasm, community spirit
and richness of community events were simply amazing."
School children were particularly excited to be
part of a world record attempt that included the whole country.
Municipal leaders and health officials launched physical activity
strategies, signed the International Charter for Walking,
opened trails, showcased walking infrastructure and led walks
everywhere.
Remote rural communities, large cities, and First Nations
were involved. Across the country at precisely the same time
it was foggy, sunny, overcast, rainy, hot, warm, cool, and
frosty.
Ontario led the way with 160,048 participants.
In Ontario, the event was supported by the Ontario Ministry
of Health Promotion's Communities in Action Fund.
In addition, Alberta had 30,945 participants,
Manitoba had 28,715 participants, and events were also held
in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland & Labrador,
and Yukon.
Schools, workplaces, trail organizations, and
communities all joined in the spirit of the event. Hospitals,
community colleges, universities, seniors' centres, and even
prisons staged events.
The
World Record Walk created a real "buzz" on all matters
related to walking and provided an impressive launch to the
Walkolution - a movement spearheaded by Green Communities
Canada to create a culture of walking throughout the country.
This cultural shift will entail putting pedestrians
first, as the most important element of future transportation
planning to improve safety, reduce traffic congestion, improve
community cohesion, cut air pollution, and reduce greenhouse
gas emissions.
With more walkable communities, efforts to encourage
Canadians to walk to school, work, and play when it is only
a short distance away, will be more successful. Getting Canadians
to walk more, every day is the most effective way to increase
daily physical activity and combat obesity.
A full listing of World
Record Walk events is online, sorted by Province at:
http://worldrecordwalk.ca/english/default.asp.
The previous
world record for the most people walking simultaneously
was 100915 participants and was set in Australia
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