Three years after becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage, Diana Nyad is ready to embark on her next big adventure – and she wants to bring one million Americans with her.
On Thursday, Nyad announced the launch of EverWalk, the biggest walking initiative in American history that aims to challenge people to get up, get out and get moving.
Along with longtime expedition leader Bonnie Stoll, 67-year-old Nyad has planned a series of treks across America, beginning with a walk from Los Angeles to San Diego in October and ending with one million people joining in a cross-country walk from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. in 2020.
The veteran endurance swimmer hopes this initiative will cause a revolution in the United States, which has become one of the most sedentary countries on the planet.
“The Cuba swim was an epic journey for me and my team,” Nyad says in a statement. “I want the American public to have their own epic experience. That’s the soul of EverWalk. Each EverWalker, from 5k up to the whole 7-day trek to virtual participants, will be part of the revolution to evolve us from a sedentary to a moving culture.”
The initiative welcomes all ages and offers various commitment levels, from 5k to full trek participation. Celebrities, sponsors and local government will join participants in each walk and at the finish line.
“Over the next five years, we here at EverWalk are literally going to turn America into a nation of walkers,” Stoll adds.
Source: People
September 1, 2016
By Tiare Dunlap
http://people.com/sports/diana-nyad-launches-national-walking-initiative-everwalk/
