News of the Arroyo
Title: | Getting a leg up for city's first walkabout |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2008-02-05 |
Summary: | February 5, 2008 - Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard wants to get local residents up and moving. |
Author: | Janette Williams |
Publication: | Pasadena Star-News |
Content: | PASADENA - Olympic swimming Gold Medalist John Naber says he feels more at home in the water, but he\'s signed up to be the first \"special guest\" to join Mayor Bill Bogaard in Wednesday\'s inaugural Up & Moving Pasadena walk around the Rose Bowl Stadium. \"Walking is not something I do consistently for exercise - I have an ungainly gait, so I\'ll `fallump\' my way around,\" said Naber. \"But it\'s good exercise, and when the mayor calls and asks you to do something for the city, how can you say no?\" Naber, who won four Gold Medals and one Silver at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, has problems with his knees and said he hopes he can keep up with 70-year-old Bogaard on the three-mile walk. \"I know how physically fit the mayor is - he rides bikes and the guy looks like he\'s in his mid-40s - but I intend to try,\" Naber said. \"I don\'t consider this a race, I consider it a walk. But I hope no one brings a stop-watch.\" Bogaard said all levels of ability are welcome at the walk, which starts at 7:45 a.m. at Gate A at the Rose Bowl, and will be held the first Wednesday of every month. \"I think and hope persons who come will be able to do the three miles much faster than I,\" Bogaard said. \"But I do intend to set a brisk pace for those who want a three-mile fast walk.\" Bogaard said the special guests participating each month were invited as a nod to their community prominence and commitment to healthy living. \"We weren\'t sure what the reaction would be, so we had a long list,\" Bogaard said. \"We wanted persons who had a strong presence in Pasadena and whose very lifestyle ... is an example for all who wish to pursue healthy living.\" The lineup for future walks includes everyone from Caltech President Jean-Lou Chameau and state Sen. Jack Scott to \"Terminator\" producer Gail Hurd and Pasadena fire Chief Dennis Downs. The mayor said he has a regular exercise program, and hopes his monthly walk will help others get started. \"I bike probably once a week and work out two or three times each week, and I jog,\" said Bogaard. \"But although I\'m in good health, I doubt I\'m in any better condition than John Naber.\" Up & Moving Pasadena is a communitywide effort to support fitness for health. For more information, call (626) 831-2980, or visit www.upandmoving.org janette.williams@sgvn.com (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4482 |
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