Avoid the hassle of traffic congestion and finding parking, and arrive at the Discovery 702 Walk the Talk relaxed and ready for a stroll, by making use of the park-and-ride facilities.

The start of the 2007 event, with Joburg's executive mayor Amos Masondo
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)

PARK-AND-RIDE facilities will be available to get walkers to the park on time, at the largest participation walking event in South Africa, the Discovery 702 Walk the Talk.

The ever-popular Walk the Talk takes place on Sunday, 27 July. And this year, the organisers are restricting the number of participants to 35 000. Entries close on 18 June.

Participants and spectators can park their cars at Nasrec Expo Centre, Northgate or Bez Valley Park, from where they will be bussed to the venue and back again at the end of the event. Using the park-and-ride costs R15, and pre-bookings can be made on the Talk Radio 702 website. The Race Office can also be contacted for bookings, on 011 270 2702.

"Once registered for the park-and-ride, you will receive a colour-coded voucher at registration which will be the ticket for the bus," said Dominique de Klerk of Haford Sports Promotion, the event's co-ordinator.

To ensure safety, certain roads in the suburbs that will be walked through, will be closed on the day to control congestion, including Judith Road, Barry Hertzog Avenue, Emmarentia Drive and Louw Geldenhuys Road.

The main parking area is at Johannesburg Botanical Gardens at Emmarentia Dam. Signage will guide motorists. "Mobile pointsmen will be available to assist in directing traffic in and out of the venue," De Klerk said.

Walk the Talk starts and finishes at Marks Parks Sports Club in Judith Road, Emmarentia. The route passes through the leafy suburbs of Emmarentia, Greenside, Parktown, Parkhurst, Parkwood and Parkview.

There will be 15km and 30km timed events, starting at 7.30am, for the more experienced walkers; an 8km walk for clubs, families and friends, starting at 9am; and a 5km fun walk for children, junior walkers, prams and dogs on leashes.

A percentage from every 5km and 8km entry will be donated to the Laureus Sport For Good Foundation. The foundation is an international organisation that uses sport as a tool for social development in disadvantaged areas.

Nampak, Plastic Federation and Collect-A-Can have been brought on board to recycle rubbish generated during the walk. "There will be 20 recycling points at the venue," De Klerk said. "At each point there will be three bins to differentiate among the types of materials to be placed in them."

Sanmac Multi Services, a local company, would clean up the routes from 7.30am until the event ended.

In addition, Netcare medical staff will be stationed at all the watering points and at the start and finish to help those having problems during the walk. It will be possible to contact the medical staff on 082 911.

For more information, call 011 270 2702, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or log on to the 702 website.

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