Roadrunners offer exercise, fellowship

Airman Edward Drescher
Kaiserslautern American

The Ramstein Roadrunners host their annual spring walk May 7 and 8 in Ramstein Village in observance of World Walking Day. Ticket sales for the event are from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Costs range from $1 to $4 depending if you are marching for prizes or not.

The Ramstein Roadrunners are a volksmarching group that originated as a jogging group in the early 1970s. The club is registered under the International Volkssport Federation and is part of the Deutscher Volkssportverband or German People Association.

On top of hosting two events a year, the Roadrunners attend events in the Rheinland-Pfalz area, and occasionally in other countries such as France and Luxembourg. The events are broken into to distances from 5K to a 42K marathon march according to preference.

“These marches not only provide fellowship and support, they also give participants the opportunity to tour Germany and other locations at their own pace,” said Bill Kern, publicity director for the Roadrunners.

The club is not entirely devoted to volksmarching as it hosts and attends various swimming and bicycling events as well.

The Roadrunner family is growing with the member benefits offered by the club. Members get free bus transportation to and from various events in Europe and have the chance to win group prizes for being part of the Roadrunners. In addition to sponsored and planned events members will also find out about opportunities and places to do their own volksmarching. Memberships to the Roadrunners can be purchased individually for $10 or a family fee of $25 can be paid for three members. People interested should contact Handy Fabrizio, Roadrunners membership representative, at 486-6274 or 06381-428-421.

Although members get certain benefits, anyone is eligible to participate in events.
“We encourage participation from everyone, especially newcomers, to show them what volksmarching is all about,” said Brad Crandall, Roadrunners president. “It’s an opportunity for us as a club to introduce people to a unique part of the German culture.

Roadrunners Event

The Ramstein Roadrunners are hosting a May volksmarch for World Walk Day.

When: May 7 to 8
Where: Ramstein Village
Who: Anyone

Contact Bill Kern at 481-3935 for details.