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Walk with a goal in mind

By Keri Brenner | THE OLYMPIAN • Published July 12, 2007

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OLYMPIA - Mary Maureen Tennyson doesn't have to quit her day job to be "ambassador" for Saturday's 5-mile walk in Olympia.

Tennyson, 52, state senior assistant attorney general, will be leading area walkers around her home turf - the state's Capitol Campus and Capitol Lake.

"I got started walking at the encouragement of Karen Engle, our department's wellness coordinator," Tennyson said. Since then, Tennyson walks most days at lunchtime around the Capitol, often with friends or co-workers.

"We do about three or four miles," she said.

Olympia is the fourth capital city in the nation to host the "WeWhoWalk" tour, which began May 1 in Boise, Idaho, followed by Santa Fe, N.M., and Richmond, Va. The series of 5-mile walks, organized by Laguna Hills, Calif.-based WalkStyles Inc., ends April 2008 i n Washington, D.C.

WalkStyles, which designs and markets clothing and other products for healthy lifestyles, also offers a free membership to its walking club community and walking partner search directory at its Web site, www.walkstyles.com.

Free registration on the Web site by the end of the business day Friday is required to participate in Saturday's walk, said Sue Larsen, company vice president.

"The most frequent question we get everywhere we go is, 'How can I find people to walk with?'" Larsen said. "On our Web site, you can not only find walking clubs and people to walk with in your own community, but you can also find walking partners when you travel."

The walk is not a fundraiser, but 10 percent of any purchases made on the Web site for one year will be donated to an Olympia area charity that fights childhood obesity, Tennyson said.

The charity will be chosen by Tennyson, who was selected as ambassador because her sister-in-law, Mary Eileen Tennyson, knows Sue Parks, the founder of WalkStyles. The sister-in-law, who lives in Orange County, Calif., was successful in losing weight and lowering her blood pressure by launching a daily walking program under Parks' tutelage.

"The tour we are doing is to promote the power of community," Parks said in a telephone interview. "It does help if you have people in your life who are active, too."

Parks, 50, said she began the free community part of her Web site after first establishing the business and e-commerce aspect. She said the business was created because she was looking for exercise clothes to wear that would work into her day as a business professional.

"Even though I'm pretty fit, I wanted things that weren't so skin-tight or revealing," Parks said.

Parks said Saturday's walk will be a treat for her and for the walkers.

"It's interesting how many people haven't seen their cities on foot," she said.

Olympian intern Breanne Coats contributed to this story.

Keri Brenner covers health issues for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5435 or kbrenner@theolympian.com.

Join the fun

Participation in Saturday's 5-mile WeWhoWalk is free to those who register by the end of the business day Friday at www.walkstyles.com. Registration is required to attend the walk. Details of the route are on the Web site. The event starts at 7:30 a.m. at the Heritage Room at 604 Water St., next to Water Street Cafe.