Walk Your Way to a 10K, 5K, Half or Full Marathon in 2016

USA Fit Austin, one of the largest marathon and half marathon running group programs in the area, is proud to announce today the formal launch of the USA Fit Austin Walking Program, Austin’s only walking training group program, with a new branding identity and website as it approaches its twentieth anniversary this January. Since 1996, USA Fit Austin Walking has trained more than 1,500 members in the Austin area to walk their way to various 5K to full marathon finishes in a fun, non-intimidating and safe environment. The new website can be found at www.usafitaustinwalking.com.

“We are so thrilled and proud to have helped so many people get fit through walking and have a chance to participate in various race events that they otherwise would not have been able to do,” said Organizer and Head Coach Elayne Barber. “This milestone is a real testament to the growing movement and popularity of fitness and walking in the Austin area that we look forward to continuing even more strongly with our standalone program for years to come.”

USA Fit Austin’s original walking program began with only 67 members and one coach in 1996 to provide a training option for those who preferred to walk a half or full marathon at the end of the season. Since then, they have expanded the program to accommodate walkers at all fitness levels, such as the Get Fit program to transition from smaller races to half or full marathons; the Hew-Silverberg interval training method, named in honor of two coaches who lost their battles to cancer and helped grow the walking program to what it is today; and the Art of Fitness Program to prepare walkers for their first 10K or 5K race. The group now includes more than 150 members, 37 coaches and three seasons throughout the year to help Austinites realize the benefits of walking, year-round, and achieve their dreams of completing a long-distance race.

Fifty-seven-year-old Brenda Gustafson is one such success story, who joined USA Fit Austin’s walking program in 2003. At the age of 45 and with little more experience than her two 15-minute walking breaks at work, she wanted to prove to herself that she could do a marathon.

“As I continued to train with USA Fit, my health improved, I lost weight and my walking pace became faster,” said Gustafson, who met her goal of becoming a ‘marathoner’ at the Motorola Austin Marathon in January 2004. “I completed just one marathon, but it put passion in my heart to continue with USA Fit. I not only benefited from later walking many, many 5Ks, 10Ks and half marathons but have also developed lasting friendships over the years.”

The USA Fit Austin Walking Program will kick off its new training season this January with three program levels: the traditional Half Marathon/Get Fit program on Jan. 9 and the Art of Fitness and the 10-week 5K training program, both on Jan. 12. Registration is $60 to $120 and is available online today through January 31 at www.usafitaustinwalking.com.

A Snapshot of USA Fit Austin Walking in the Last 20 Years:

· 479,400 miles walked in full marathons

· 306,150 miles walked in half marathons

· 256,800 miles walked in 10Ks and 5Ks

· 316 different races total completed by USA Fit Austin Walking members in the U.S. and overseas