Joan Dismont is to the End-to-End walk what Stanley Burgess was to the May 24 Marathon Derby.

?Sir? Stanley ran the race for almost 50 years ? his last at the age of 82 ? and was the oldest person to win the race. He became a legend on the road running scene. The End-to-End walk has a similar personality even if Mrs. Dismont hasn?t been hitting the pavement quite as long as ?Sir? Stanley in the Marathon Derby.

?That?s because the End-to-End didn?t start until I was in my fifties,? laughed Mrs. Dismont who has been ever-present in the St. George?s to Dockyard charity walk since its inception 17 years ago.

On Saturday she completed the walk for the 18th time and reached the Dockyard finish line with a smile on her face as family and friends were there to cheer on the walk?s oldest participant. It is quite an achievement for a 74-year-old grandmother who doesn?t know what it is to take it easy. While many seniors take life at a more leisurely pace, Mrs. Dismont has both voice-mail and call waiting on her telephone so as not to miss important calls while she is out.

Which was the case the day after the gruelling walk. Still in good shape after the seven-hour and ten-minute walk, she attended church on Sunday and then went out again later in the evening. ?I went to church, then went to see the movie ?Passion of the Christ?,? said Mrs. Dismont. ?My daughter told me if I wanted to see it then Sunday was the last day.

?My sister (Evogene) called me from Tampa, Florida and said ?Joan, where are you, I can?t believe you?re out, I figured you would be laying up all day with your feet up. I want to congratulate you, I?ve been told you made the walk. I?ve been thinking about you all day doing all those miles came home, I don?t know how you do it?. She didn?t dream I?d be gone out the door.?

The oldest of five boys and five girls, Mrs. Dismont contributes her energy to simply leading a busy life which includes involvement in various charities. Being born feet first may also have something to do with it, she says ?I?m the oldest and they (siblings) want to know what I?m made of,? she stated.

?I an energetic person anyhow, it must the bee pollen which I have started taking again. It?s the attitude, positive thinking that you can do it. Prayers too. I try to be positive all the time about life. I like to walk, help others and just be outside and all that helps.?

The walk started in 1987 as a challenge between three work colleagues at Johnson & Higgins (Bermuda) Ltd, Paul Rowlerson, Jon Borrill and Clive Cotton.

Mrs. Dismont joined them that first year and holds the distinction of being the only person who has walked all 18 years. She is out there with people more than half her age, including a growing number of school children who could be her grandchildren.

Getting the younger sector of the community involved is a good thing, she feels, as she would like to see the event continue for years to come. If her health permits she would like to go for another two years.

?I have told myself I would like to hit 20 years, I like that it?s an even number,? said Mrs. Dismont whose time was consistent with what she normally does, finishing at 3.30 p.m.

?My time was on time,? she said proudly. ?I stopped once to air my feet a little more than I normally do and change my socks and with that ten minutes I lost I would have come in closer to 3.15. I normally do between seven and seven and a quarter (hours). People can?t seem to understand why, when I come in, I look so sprucey, but it must be something about when I hit Somerset Bridge.

?A lot of my folks live along there and they all hail me and I feel better once I get over that bridge and up the hill. The closer I get to the end the better I feel.?

To prepare, Mrs. Dismont did about four seven-mile walks and walks with a walking club.

?I also do the PALS walk every year, which is 14 miles from Dockyard to Hamilton,? she revealed. ?I?m always looking out for who to walk for to help.

?Generally speaking I?m an active person. l do line dancing with the Pembroke Community Club, volunteer for Meals on Wheels and now I have started with National Trust after I saw a sign that they needed help.

?Then I?m on call for the Botanical Gardens Tea Room. So you can see I?m a busy lady, but I have to be careful not to overdo it.?

And her contribution to the End-to-End charitable cause did not end on Saturday as now she is getting ready for a dinner party she hosts every year as an additional fundraiser.

The dinner party next week will be for about 30 people and combined with the pledges from the walk will take her fund-raising past the $2,000 mark.

?My mind works two ways, get out there and do my thing (walk) and then do my other thing (dinner party). This is the tenth year for that,? said the Gold Club member.

Last year she introduced a ?Price is Right? theme to the dinner party with bingo, musical chairs and other activities. The end-to-end has been a part of her life for almost 20 years.

?I remember when I first saw it, I was working that summer at the Visitors Service Bureau and was looking at the newspaper saw about those fellas who had a challenge,? she said of the first event.

?I fell for the ad, called them up and said ?I?ll join you?. The first or second year they did it from Dockyard to St. George?s, I remember it because a guy jumped overboard when he got down by the airport, he felt so hot!?

She has kept all her End-to-End t-shirts but is somehow missing one.

?I think one year they didn?t have t-shirts because I have a picture showing me not wearing an End-to-End t-shirt,? she said with some regret. The Middle-to-End has also been incorporated into the walk and on Saturday dozens of school children started out from Albuoy?s Point.

?Youngsters passed me and said ?who is this lady walking here??, and I said ?yeah, and I?m coming from St. George?s?,? she said of the reaction she usually gets.

?A couple of those children said ?my gracious, let?s pick up the speed, this lady said she is coming from St. George?s!?. They couldn?t get over it. It happens every year. I?m glad to see the younger people, after all I?m getting older.?

In the absence of her daughter, Michelle (Dismont-Frazzoni), Mrs. Dismont looked set to walk the distance without a companion, but a stranger came to the rescue in St. George?s and stayed with her the whole way.

?She walked with me and I was glad when she approached me,? said Mrs. Dismont who is planning a 75th birthday cruise to the Panama Canal later this year.

?She approached me and I told her ?I don?t mind if you walk with me, my daughter isn?t walking this year, you can act like my daughter?.

?She said her name was Pam Francis and there was so much excitement when I came in that I didn?t get to see her again. People on the right and left side were all happy for me.

?My sister had her camera ready and said ?mission accomplished?.?

Even Michelle is amazed at her mother?s energy.

?I think I?ve done it seven or eight times but with a mother who has done it every year, how can I say no,? said Mrs. Dismont Frazzoni.

?With every passing year she seems to have more energy and more vitality to do everything in life, not just the end to end. She loves making people happy.

?She is a great inspiration to the whole family ? and there is no sign of letting up.?