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Greater Des Moines Volkssport Association
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Year-Round Walks Contact |
Monthly meetings are held the third Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m.. Contact Our club has sponsored several Volkssport walking tours of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and other foreign countries. Membership is open to everyone. Please join us for fun and fellowship. What is Volkswalking? A volkswalk is a 10 kilometer (6.2 mile) non-competitive walk for all ages. Shorter walks are available at some volkswalks for those unable to complete the full 10 kilometer walk. Volkswalking, also known as volksmarching, originated in Germany. Traditionally, after church services on Sundays, families from neighboring villages would walk to the midpoint between the villages for a picnic, socialization, and games. Villages are approximately 10 kilometers apart, thus the origin of the length of current volkswalks. Typically, a volkswalk will take about an hour and a half to two hours. That time may increase if walkers decide to stop at interesting sites along the way to take in the history or special atmosphere of the area. Volkswalking was brought to the United States in 1976 as part of the Bicentennial celebration. The national organization, the American Volkssport Association, was founded in 1979. Many members of U.S. volkswalk clubs are former service personnel who picked up the “habit” during a tour of duty in Europe. There are more than 350 volkswalk clubs in the U.S. covering every state of the union. The national group is called a volkssport association because some swimming and cycling events are sanctioned by the group. These events are not as commonly held but are a great addition when they are sanctioned. There is nothing like a swim to relax the aching muscles and cool those tired feet after a 6 mile jaunt, right. |
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All events are sanctioned by the
American Volkssport Association (AVA), |
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