Inta Schorcht has become synonymous with the Langley Walk.

The 82-year-old Langley resident took part in her first walk in 1987, joining about 1,000 others, and since then has only missed one event, when she went on a trip to New York.

"I can't remember which year that was," she said.

Schorcht has won the award as oldest walker three out of the past four years - 2008, 2010, and 2011 - and she is registered to take part again this Sunday, when the 50th walk is celebrated at McLeod Athletic Park (MAP).

"I like walking," Schorcht said. "The first time I was the oldest was 10 years ago [in 2002]. I would have been 72."

An active community member - she has been a board member with the Langley Arts Council and with the Langley Heritage Society, and is part of the Langley Weavers and Spinners Guild - Schorcht is also very physically active.

She goes swimming or to the gym five times a week.

Each visit to the pool, she swims "one kilometre non-stop," she said.

Schorcht said the first Langley Walk she participated in offered a 15-kilometre route in the Aldergrove area.

She completed the route, along with her daughter Ulrika and two grandchildren.

"It was not tough at all," she said. "Mind you, the little ones, they were pre-schoolers, they were likely tired. But they did it."

In Schorcht's estimation, participation in the walk has been "quite low" of late.

She's hoping numbers pick up this year.

"There's been an awful lot of advertising which never had been done before," she said.

Weather can have either a positive or negative effect on the number of people taking part in the walk.

"If it's raining a little bit, people don't show up," Schorcht said. "They all have the same sickness; they all have to go to the shopping centres. I hate shopping. It's not my thing. We need food, but that's it - nothing else."

Schorcht said keeping her body moving, and not letting her muscles sleep, keeps her young.

Each year, she meets up with the same person and they do the walk together.

"She's younger than my children," Schorcht said.

Schorcht would like to see more seniors at the walk, but isn't sure that's going to happen.

"They all say, 'I'm so old.' Quite often they're younger than I am," she said. "It all depends on your entire lifestyle."

Courtesy of her active lifestyle, Schorcht said she doesn't need to train for this Sunday's event.

"It's not an effort, let's put it that way," she said. "But then, all my life, I've been walking."

She wishes the walk routes were longer.

Recently, she's been doing the five-kilometre route twice. Schorcht plans on looping around twice on Sunday.

"We had 15K, that was 20 years ago, then we went down to 10, which in a way, I could understand because younger people, they don't really like to walk," she said. "I mean, the only time they're busy is when they're running after the ball."

One of the things that attracts Schorcht to the walk is its inclusive nature.

"It's open to all kinds of people, so I see lots of young families bringing their children," she said. "There are baby buggies and they're on their bikes and they're roller skating- everything. And I've been telling lots of my younger friends: come, bring your children."

Asked if she feels honoured to have been the oldest walker the past two years, Schorcht answered: "Not honoured, maybe, but it's sort of a challenge. It's just one of the things we do."

She added, "Sometimes my children ask me, 'Mom, don't you think you should slow down?' Why should I slow down in anything in life?"

The Langley Walk offers a 7 km full route and a 5 km shorter route.

Registration at MAP, 216th Street and 56th Avenue, begins at noon, with the walk getting underway at 1: 30 p.m.

tlandreville@langleyadvance.com