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Column: Take a walk, make $100

REPORTER PHOTO This $100 bill, or one of its mates, could be yours if you show up at Crescent Beach Saturday morning.
REPORTER PHOTO This $100 bill, or one of its mates, could be yours if you show up at Crescent Beach Saturday morning.

This Saturday, April 22, at 10:30 a.m., come to Crescent Beach — meet at the Sunset Beach Hotel — to re-start a “Community Walk,” which is another debt to Cliff Clark.

Diane Anderson was the inspiration for this revival. No cost, no distances, no times. Bring yourselves, spouses, kids (strollers encouraged), dogs and cats. No chipmunks. Everyone who is there is automatically entered in a lottery drawing to select a $100 winner.

Yes, win $100 for simple exercise on your terms! If you have ever lined up at pharmacy to buy those New York State Lottery games, the odds of winning here are 10 times better and you are doing something to benefit yourself.

People know they should exercise, but the energy barriers to overcome, wow — too hot, too cold, too windy, snow, errands, taxes due, etc. Exercise, like running/walking is addictive. Like a positive opioid habit. The more consistently you do it, the more you can do it and more you do the more it becomes a priority in your life.

Ah, the energy barrier! What better way to deal with overcoming that than money. So if you come to Crescent Beach Saturday we’ll show you the money. This donation is to increase exercise awareness and build participation in our world class Shelter Island races.

These early columns have focused on walking. There’s a good reason. Walking is easy, available and fits into a lifelong habit. As the columns develop, I’ll return to our runners and provide them with their share of attention.

Remember, 2017 will feature the 38th Shelter Island Run/Walk on June 17. Only eight weeks are left for you to be part of a grand tradition and help yourselves as well. The “race” is not really a race, but a chance for all of us to help ourselves and the community.