Valley Striders Kick Off Second Season

With tennis shoes tied and T-shirts tucked in, more than 100 Spokane Valley residents thumbed their noses at the threatening skies Tuesday morning.

Nothing was going to stop them from that first mile of the walking season. Why should it? Their walking is all done inside the Spokane Valley Mall.

It was there that the second season for the Valley Striders kicked off with lots of enthusiasm and energy.

“Activity of any kind is good for you,” Striders organizer Steve Colwell told the group, made up mostly of retirees.

“Avoid inactivity at all costs. Walk to live.”

This perky group takes Colwell’s advice to heart.

In their first season last year, members walked 9,740 miles of mall. This year, they hope to hit 10,000.

“I’m out for blood over here,” said Edna Godley, who took up walking when her doctor ordered her to start exercising.

What began as a chore for her has become a way to be healthy, get out of the house and make new friends.

“I slow down, sometimes, just long enough to chat,” she joked.

For Sue Street, the Striders is the way she brought her family together to help her mother, Jean Breeden, who recently had a stroke.

“I’m enjoying it very much,” Breeden said about the walks with her daughter and son-in-law, Frank Street, and their daughter Shellee. “It’s good just getting out every day.”

The Valley Striders walking group was started last winter by Colwell, a long-time fitness enthusiast who strives to keep seniors active and healthy.

Colwell, 66, is a certified fitness trainer who works with older folks at retirement and community centers across the region. He also helped start the Silverlake Striders at the Silver Lake Mall in Coeur d’Alene.

“Walking is terrific for the heart and lungs,” Colwell said. “We need to keep the strength, the flexibility up.”

He hosts strength and flexibility classes for walkers at the mall at 8:45 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. The rest of the time, Valley Striders can hoof it daily starting at 6:30 a.m. until the mall opens at 10 a.m., cataloging their miles as they go.

For Sharon Howard, mall walking is the best bet for a long, healthy life.

“It’s convenient and there’s no costs involved,” she said. “Just your time.”

This sidebar appeared with the story: VALLEY STRIDERS Daily walks The Valley Striders walk at the Spokane Valley Mall every day between 6:30 and 10 a.m. Anyone interested in joining the group can call 926-5575.