About 200 strangers marched through the streets of Vienna last weekend, as walkers from the surrounding area converged on the town for a Volksmarch. The walk was Northern Virginia Volksmarch's first Vienna event in 6 years, and the club coordinated it in cooperation with the Friends of the W&OD Trail.
On Saturday and Sunday, participants walked on one of two 10-kilometer courses or biked or rollerbladed on one of two other courses. There was also a five-kilometer walking option. All the courses traversed a portion of the W&OD.
Volksmarch is an international organization that encourages people to walk for fitness. Participants keep track of the courses they've walked and can get credit — in the form of badges — for completing sets, such as the Lewis and Clark Trail or the Railroad Heritage programs.
Many areas have designated year-round courses that can be walked for credit, independent of any events. Vienna's year-round course begins and ends at the 7-Eleven on Park Street.