By J1 Reporter Layla Weedin

Crown Pointe, the well known Marian Walk-A-Thon (WAT) route, hasn’t always been the original way for Marian girls to make their way through. Not long ago, in 2012, Marian students walked the Keystone Trail route for the final time. This route was almost triple the length of the current path at 6.2 miles. 

The structure of the walk, although similar, had a few big changes. Girls walk the current 2 mile route through Crown Pointe, yet many ran the 10K Keystone Trail path.

“It would be a challenging task for sure,” said sophomore Liv Brown on the possibility of walking a 6 mile route instead of the current 2 mile route.

Students could also earn VIP badges for raising a certain amount of money in the first two weeks of donations to earn days off of school and be the first to run on the Keystone. Today, Marian offers a similar opportunity by giving girls a chance for a day off school if they raise $200 by the second week.

Merely two years ago, the path for Marian girls was changed again. The walk was split into two routes, two grades with the lower percentages of their goal walking a longer 4-mile walk and two grades with the higher percentages of their goal walking the 2-mile walk we know today, after changing the location of the walk to Crown Pointe.

The competition and goal to gain a shorter walking distance and earn their color choice first in Color Block became nearly overwhelming. 

After concluding that the competitiveness has reached a level of unhealthiness, Mrs. Sullivan and other faculty members shaved the two routes down to one, making all walks fair and equal.

“I didn’t quite understand it at first, but now as I get older, I understand why people were angry,” said junior Sophie Sturek on the loss of the 4-mile path. 

The route of WAT has been changed a various number of times, causing mixed reactions from students, yet, for now, the route is set in stone. Marian girls are hopeful and excited to walk their Crown Pointe path next year’s WAT.