Anthem Stride Through Time

PDF: A walk through downtown

If you go
What: Anthem Stride Through Time
When: May 30; packet pickup begins at 7 a.m.; walk begins at 9 a.m. (There is a four-hour course limit.) Where: Brown's Island, Tredegar and South Seventh streets
Cost: $25 for adults, $15 for age 14 and younger through May 28.
Walk-up registration May 30: $30 for adults, $20 for age 14 and younger. Part of the proceeds will go to The History Fund, which benefits the Valentine Richmond History Center and the Historic Richmond Foundation.
Register: Visit www.raceit.com/Register/Default.aspx?event=328 Online registration closes May 28 at 11:59 p.m.
Info: www.sportsbackers.org

Downtown Richmond is teeming with a history that can serve as a microcosm for America's own past.

It's a history that ranges from before the Revolutionary War to the roots of the civil-rights movement in Jackson Ward to the more recent slavery reconciliation.

It's all there, as well as everything in between, in a 6.2-mile loop that during rush hour becomes easily unnoticed.

"When you're in your car, you just don't have the opportunity to appreciate the outside architectural integrity of some of these wonderful buildings in Richmond, much less the inside," said Mary Jane Hogue, executive director of the Historic Richmond Foundation.

That will change May 30 during the Sports Backers first Anthem Stride Through Time, a 10K walk through downtown Richmond.

William J. Martin, director of the Valentine Richmond History Center, said this event connects fitness with one of the city's principal assets: its historic resources.

"This provides that really interesting opportunity to connect all the dots," Martin said. "I was amazed when you do this, you can really go from the American Revolution to the 20th century in Richmond's historic neighborhoods."

. . .

The 6.2-mile circuit begins and ends on Brown's Island, taking participants through various timeperiods. Along the route, re-enactors will help transport walkers to a past that helped shape Richmond.

Actors from Virginia Patriots Inc. will portray historical figures, such as Patrick Henry, Maggie L. Walker and former slave Henry "Box" Brown.

It's just another element of the event that's billed as a "historically healthy tour of Richmond."

"A lot of times, you go into a museum, 'there's an old chair, there's that' -- it's all very interesting -- but when you see a person there, living that life, you can relate to that on a more human level," said Kevin Grantz, an actor who will portray Richmond lawyer John Wickham during the Stride Through Time.

Historical attractions along the route range from the city's only five-star hotel, The Jefferson, to Walker's home, now a national historic site. Then there's the Hippodrome Theatre, where black entertainers such as Billie Holiday and Nat King Cole performed during Jackson Ward's heyday as the "Harlem of the South."

Museums aplenty, commemorating the Civil War, the Confederacy, the Holocaust and renowned writer Edgar Allan Poe, are located along the way. Admission to all sites is free to walkers wearing a numbered bib, said Jon Lugbill, executive director of Sports Backers.

"It's kind of like a sampler," Lugbill said. "Really, the idea is, you know more about what's out there, and at the same time, you're doing this fun, physical activity."

. . .

While Richmond's history is being highlighted, promoting the city as a healthy, active place to live is also one of Sports Backers' goals.

According to figures from the Virginia Department of Health, Virginia has the 23rd highest rate of adult obesity in the country: 25.3 percent. Factor in overweight adult Virginians, the number climbs to 62 percent.

Physical activity, about 2½ hours a week, can reduce the risk of chronic ailments, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and other health problems, said Heidi Hertz, obesity-prevention coordinator with the Champion Program and the Virginia Department of Health.

A step in the right direction is finding a physical activity that is fun.

"If we can find activities that we enjoy, or those that we can do with a spouse, or friend or family member, it really does help us make it . . . a physical activity we can do on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis," Hertz said.

So far, response from participants and volunteers to the Stride Through Time is high, as more than 1,000 walkers have already signed up to participate. Typically, for new events, there is a rush of people signing up near the end of the registration period, Lugbill said.

"People are really passionate about the history of Richmond." Lugbill said. "This is giving them an event to be passionate about."

Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or jslayton@timesdispatch.com.