Retired East County couple laps UTC for Healthy Walkers Program

Barry Williamson’s days begin at 3 a.m., with two cups of coffee; an hour and a half of stretching and a two-mile drive at 8 a.m. to The Mall at University Town Center with his wife, Beth.

Retirees Barry and Beth Williamson have hit the mall for their three-mile morning strolls since it opened in October. The 63-year-olds have logged more than 300 miles each through the Healthy Walkers Program — more than any of the 115 participants.

Over the last eight months, Barry Williamson has lost 30 pounds, a result of eating healthier and mall-walking with his wife.

The couple thought about walking on golf courses or around their community. But hot temperatures and flying golf balls weren’t appealing to them.

So when the new mall opened in the fall, the couple found their fitness facility.

“Once you get into the habit, these walks are just like getting up and brushing your teeth,” Barry Williamson said.

The East County duo parks near the Cheesecake Factory and enters through the main entrance on the first floor — after tossing a penny in the fountain — before trekking toward Macy’s. 

The couple walks three laps from Macy’s to Dillard’s and back — a half-mile total — on the first floor, then they take the escalator to the second floor, where they walk three more.

Except for the few other walkers, the halls are quiet. 

The Williamsons tried walking the mall a few times during the afternoon, but they found that weaving through the flow of shoppers wasn’t as enjoyable.

They enjoy the scenery and silence of the mall that will soon be bustling with shoppers.

 “With the skylights up here, it’s almost like we’re outside, without the heat,” Beth Williamson said. “This was his way to get me walking.”

The Williamsons aren’t aiming for fast lap times or trying to beat previous time; they’re walking for the physical benefits.

The Williamsons moved two years ago to East County, after living in the San Francisco Bay area in California, where they also walked malls.

 “We had a little walkers’ community,” Beth Williamson said. “But, we’ve been seeing a lot of the same faces here, and everyone is so nice. We’re starting to have that community here, too.”

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].