By MADDY VITALE
Sea Isle City residents will soon be enjoying a new activity that will keep them fit while they socialize.
The newly formed Walking Through Life Club is possibly the first walking club in the resort, officials said.
The club begins this Thursday, Feb. 1, and will meet every Thursday throughout the year. From 10 a.m. to about 11:45 a.m., participants, ages 18 and older, will meet at 57th Street and the Promenade and walk the length of it to 29th Street and then return. The walk up and back is three miles.
“It’s meant to be a low impact exercise program that also provides socializing for the participants. Obviously, people really enjoy walking here in Sea Isle City. You can see that our Promenade is enjoyed in all four seasons,” Sea Isle City Public Information Officer Katherine Custer said Tuesday. “This environment invites people to enjoy the fresh salt air. It is a nice partnership with Mother Nature and fitness.”
She said it is the first official walking club in the resort that she is aware of and she believes it will be a popular new attraction in a town filled with family-friendly activities for all ages.
“It is just one more opportunity to enjoy Sea Isle City, thanks to our Recreation Office,” Custer said.
Although the main focus of the walking club is to exercise and forge friendships, there will also be small prizes awarded for some of the participants.
Participants can wear their Fitbits to track their steps and those with the most steps will be the lucky winners.
Custer emphasized the most important aspect of the walking club.
“Even though there is a friendly competition in the group, this really is all about socializing and offering another exercise alternative to people,” she said.
While participants can register, they don’t have to. They could just show up and join the group.
The new walking club is for everyone from the serious exercise buffs, to those just looking for something fun to do while meeting new people or spending time with old friends.
And so far, there are plenty of people showing an interest in the club, Custer said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, there were already 17 people signed up for the club, which is capped at 50 members.
“We anticipate more people will join the fun once they hear about it,” Custer said.
She said there were always plans for a walking club. An indoor walking track is planned for the city’s community recreation center slated to open sometime in 2026.
“This is something we are happy to offer because when our new community center is completed, it will have an indoor walking track for walking and running. We always anticipated that we would have an indoor walking club when that was done,” Custer said. “In the interim, the Recreation Office wanted an outdoor walking club for people to enjoy and track their steps. We think it will be popular. When the community center opens, we will expand it to indoor. That will be the beauty of the community center, indoor options for outdoor activities.”
Anyone interested in joining the Sea Isle City Walking Through Life Club can register at seaislerec.recdesk.com or call 609-263-0050 or just show up.
