Thousands of people bundled up and hit the streets of Montreal on Sunday morning for La Grande Marche.
“I have two pairs of pants so I’m very good,” said participant Emilie Rainville. “We sing, we walk and we dance — it’s very nice.”
The five-kilometre walk began at Place des Festivals, where runners were greeted by a performance as well as organizer Pierre Lavoie.
“It’s the fourth edition this year in Montreal,” said communications director Stephanie Charette. “The first year, there were two walks; second year, there were seven, 24 last year and 75 this year.”
READ MORE: Thousands walk in third edition of Montreal’s Grande Marche
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The goal of the event is to get people moving and encourage them to lead a healthy lifestyle.
“The walk is about prevention. It’s about what we can do to be healthier,” said Charette.” It’s not about asking for something … it’s about ourselves.”
Participants happily walked their way through Ste-Catherine Street and René Lévesque Boulevard.
Walkers young and old say the event is a great way to get them moving.
WATCH: La Grande Marche draws thousands to Montreal’s downtown area to participate in the five-kilometre annual walk
“We thought it was a great cause,” said 13-year-old Kenzo Kitmbo-Bugingo. “The event is pretty interesting, and we like sports so we thought it was great.”
La Grande Marche also took place in other parts of the province on Sunday.
In total, around 50,000 people participated in the walk.
Organizers are hoping to double that number next year.
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