The temperature registers a toasty 102 degrees Fahrenheit as I step out of my car to meet a group of strangers.
It is just after 7 p.m. on a weekday in Las Vegas. At a sprawling suburban park, women wearing athletic shoes and attire are gathering at the front entrance. Some know each other. Many clutch water bottles.
For the newbies like myself, hats and T-shirts adorned with the “Girls Walk Vegas” logo confirm we are in the right location.
Why We Wrote This
For a club of women walkers in Las Vegas, even the desert heat doesn’t deter their weekly gathering. Many of them have sought out the conversation and companionship – a sneaker-clad effort to strengthen the social fabric of the area.
“Welcome, welcome! Thank you for coming,” says Tera Richardson, one of the group’s leaders, as she gathers the walkers and offers a quick introduction. “We walk about an hour, and we basically just walk and talk.”
Before her warm welcome, regret had bubbled up, not unlike the sweat pouring from me. The ovenlike heat was making me question what drew me here in the first place. The short answer: social steps.
Experts extol the the physical and mental health benefits of walking daily. What they sometimes leave out, however, is the missing ingredient of treadmill sessions or solo strolls. Walking, when done in the company of others, provides a prime social outlet, generally unencumbered by financial constraints or digital distractions.
Jackie Valley/The Christian Science Monitor
I came across this group on Instagram, fed to me by the Oz-like “great and powerful” social media algorithms. In recent years, running clubs have made a splash in cities across the United States. Running and talking? Hard pass for me. But walking and talking? That I could do.
The group’s founder, Jasna Zejnilagic, wasn’t thinking about running clubs when she started Girls Walk Vegas last summer. It was another realization that put the idea in motion.
“We’re always either spending money, eating, or drinking,” she says.
So Ms. Zejnilagic and two friends chose a park, started walking, and posted about it on social media. Momentum quickly grew, aided by a TikTok video that amassed several hundred thousand views. Suddenly, dozens of women were showing up. One walk reached close to 90 participants. Since then, Girls Walk Vegas has organized stationary meetups – an outing to a minor league baseball game, for instance – in addition to collaborations with like-minded groups geared toward hikers and runners.
It’s a shoestring effort, so to speak, to strengthen the social fabric among southern Nevada residents.
“I quickly learned that everybody wanted to do the same thing,” Ms. Zejnilagic says. “They wanted community, they wanted to make new friends, and they wanted to be active.”
On this summer evening, about 25 women of various ages and backgrounds set off on the paved trail. We meander through shady areas and sun-soaked patches, gradually breaking into small groups and multiple conversations as our step count increases.
“How has it been for you adjusting to Las Vegas?” Lorrea Corotan asks her walking buddy, Jess Conway.
Ms. Conway moved to Las Vegas from Seattle two weeks prior, lured by the city’s hundreds of sunny days each year. The 27-year-old says she left behind a large group of friends in the Pacific Northwest, so she immediately scoured – yes, you guessed it – social media looking for opportunities to meet people. As a remote worker, she knows meeting new friends won’t happen organically in an office setting. But the self-described extrovert has no qualms about inserting herself into unfamiliar settings if it can lead to friendships and fun.
Jackie Valley/The Christian Science Monitor
“One of my intentions coming out here was making sure I could build an equal or even better community of people,” she says.
As we circle the park, occasionally dodging children on bicycles, the beauty of the walk emerges. No one needed the same reason to join. And no one needed to prove anything. One mother shares that it’s her opportunity for fresh air and adult conversations. A recent college graduate wants to branch out after losing her dormitory community. Several other women work from home and crave more physical activity.
Chelsea Haywood simply thought, “This could be fun.”
“Honestly, it was hard the first time,” she says. “But I got motivated to keep coming back because everybody was just chilling and talkative.”
Participants generally log 3 miles during the weekly meetup, but it’s a go-at-your-own-pace environment. Mary Miserda uses a rollator, a type of walker, when she participates. Overcome by gratitude for the group’s support, she recently hosted a get-together at her house. She wanted to thank her new friends for their encouragement and for “taking care of me when my days are slow.”
As her experience illustrates, the fringe benefits extend beyond exercise. Unexpected heart-to-hearts have uplifted participants enduring tough times. And connections have led to new experiences. Ms. Zejnilagic walked away one evening with an invitation to go kayaking.
It’s a lesson for all.
“The more you get together, the more people you meet,” she says. “The more people you meet, the happier you are.”
I left with nearly 10,000 steps, buoyed spirits, and an urge to share the experience with others. My friends’ reactions confirm what the organizers already know.
“Ohhh I would love that,” one texted back immediately.
“I want in,” the other replied a second later.
I’ll be back, likely with friends in tow, ready to make more friends. One step at a time.
