Bikes and Swims Moving to Sunday
For 2008, the Discovery Walk Festival 25K and 50K bikes and 300 meter and 600 meter swims are moving to Sunday. Why this change?
- It reduces our crunch on volunteer shifts we were experiencing on Saturday. Saturday is a very busy day with operating 5 different walking routes, marking 4 more for Sunday, and removing the Saturday markings in the afternoon. The swims require a whole crew to staff them, plus a shuttle.
- Less stress on our volunteer who picks up the rental bikes, as she can do it on Saturday.
- It reduces congestion between the bikes and the Family Fun Walk. Our Family Fun Walk at 10 am on Saturday is our fastest-growing event. With bikes and strollers arriving and departing at the same time, it made for more congestion. By moving the bikes to Sunday, it will be a less-congested area for all.
- The bike routes have less traffic on them on Sunday morning vs. Saturday morning, for increased safety.
- The Vancouver Bicycle Club operates our bike event and they were agreeable to the change.
- The Hough Pool is available on Sunday afternoon.
- We hope more of the distance walkers who prefer the Saturday trails will be able to relax on Sunday and enjoy the bikes and swims and a shorter walking distance to earn their Try-athlon patch.
We regret that some participants have already expressed dissatisfaction with the move. Their reasons are:
- Interferes with church on Sunday.
- Some participants are coming from a far distance and only wanted to participate on Saturday and drive home on Sunday.
- Some swim volunteers want to come to the Closing Ceremony at 3 pm. We suggest you discuss this with the Swim Master and arrange to help with the swim set-up and get off shift in time for the Closing Ceremony.
We appreciate that any change will be good for some people and bad for others. We hope you can find a way to enjoy the Discovery Walk Festival.