On Saturday, February 8, 2014, the DC-FreeWalkers plan to travel 50 miles by foot in one day. They will walk from Great Falls, Maryland to Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, along the banks of the Potomac River on the C&O Towpath. They are inviting everyone to join them in the 2nd Annual reprise of a challenging walk that moved a nation 51 years ago.
After JFK challenged his military to a feat of fitness in 1963, the idea of a 50-mile hike suddenly became a popular one-day endurance feat. It seemed to perfectly reflect a nation seeking challenge and displaying a growing interest in physical fitness.
His brother, Attorney General, Robert F. Kennedy, was among the first of thousands to walk 50 miles. His feat along the C&O Canal Towpath was all the more special as he trekked for 17 hours and 50 minutes in a pair of dress shoes, facing cold winter weather, and without training.
You can learn more about event and the history of the 50-Mile Hike at http://kennedy50.org. FreeWalkers.org welcome everyone to walk with them on the same 50-mile path as RFK in a new effort to channel the memory and experience of a grand physical challenge.
