Palau Walks Coalition, Kotel A Deurreng, & Palau Track & Field Association partners to host the Independence Day 5K Walk, the Final Event of the 6-Week Walk Challenge.
Koror, Palau Kotel A Deurreng announced the successful end to the Palau Walks Six-Week Challenge to Independence Day campaign. This milestone marks a significant partnership of Palau Walks Coalition with Kotel A Deurreng and Palau Track & Field Association to raise awareness in the community about walkability and to promote healthy active behaviors. The slogan “Like” Walkable Palau: For the Health of It highlights the promotion of the social marketing campaign.
Marie McConchie, a participant of the challenge remarked, “Good walk…maybe we can do it again soon. Having the challenge motivated me more. Evening walk was very good. Thanks.”
The Six-Week Challenge campaign launched on August 14, 2020 with a mile walk around the national track. Participants registered for the challenge, identified daily step goals to record on a challenge calendar, and committed to submit weekly total steps to the Palau Walks Coalition.
The challenge culminated in the Independence Day 5K Walk held on Friday, September 25, 2020 at sunset walking from the track & field to Long Island Park and back. The walk recognized the section of the street between PVA and the bottom of the hill next to the Lighthouse area giving appreciation to Ministry of Public Infrastructure Industries and Commerce for an improved walk experience.
The top finishers of the event were first – Mason Chapman (21:28.84), second – Haim Hasinto (22:17.12), and third – Katei Dengokl (22:53.41). Winners acknowledged in three categories for the Six-Week Challenge are:
Most Improved:
1st Place Frienda Wasisang
2nd Place Hanzel Hipe
3rd Place Marie McConchie
Most Consistent:
1st Place Charlie Dometita
2nd Place Marvin Albacino
3rd Place Maria Paula Ngoriakl
Highest Total Step Count:
1st Place Merriam Imperio
2nd Place Gladys Remigio
3rd Place Imee DeLos Santos
To raise awareness about walkability, the campaign also encouraged Facebook engagement about walkability and promoting a more walkable community in Palau. Walkability is a measure of how pleasant and friendly an area is to walking. Factors influencing walkability include, but not limited to, the presence or absence and quality of footpaths, sidewalks or other pedestrian rights-of-way, traffic and road conditions, land use patterns, building accessibility, and safety.
Some of the objectives of the campaign are:
• Increase awareness about walkability in Palau.
• Increase support in the community for a more walkable Palau.
• Encourage engagement by the community to promote and advocate a more walkable community, including the concept of complete streets.
To learn more about walkability, promoting a walkable Palau, and/or future events, please email palauwalks@gmail.com or visit the Palau Walks Facebook Page @PalauWalks.
Kotel A Deurreng is a chartered non-profit organization established in 2014. Kotel has worked with government and community organizations on its purpose to connect, engage, and empower the community to take positive action towards better health and a happier life with a primary strategic focus of social marketing and creative communications. Under the brand “For the Health of It!,” Kotel has developed and implemented social marketing initiatives around Healthy Eating, Breastfeeding, Physical Activity, Tobacco Cessation and Walkability.