Bermuda only seems like a small Island until you try to walk from one end to the other.With 86 days before the annual Catlin End-to-End, its organisers have created a training routine for inexperienced trotters.Residents will receive a pamphlet including a 12-week training programme in the mail this month“Since the development of our Get Ready Get Fit training programme, we’ve noticed a huge decrease in problems requiring our first aid team at the finish, and lots more smiling faces crossing the finish line in Dockyard,” said organisation chair Anne Mello. “In these tough times, we need our walkers, and the people who sponsor them with pledges, to push hard to give support to this year’s nine local charities who are helping children, seniors and adults in need.”The annual walk raises around $250,000 for local charities each year.Health and fitness experts caution against doing too much, too fast, and too soon, Mrs Mello said.“In the early days of preparation, it’s always tempting to go way beyond the workouts described in the guides, walking for great lengths of time or distance,” she said. “The thinking seems to be that if a little training is a good thing, a lot of training would be really, really great. But this overload may come too quickly in your training regime and can often result in fatigue, muscle aches and soreness, foot problems and other issues that ultimately, are very discouraging and can cause you to abandon your goal of participating in the Catlin End-to-End.”Last year 2,600 people took part a record number attributed to the fact that it was the walk’s 25th anniversary. Average numbers are closer to 2,200 each year.Mrs Mello said the goal was to have everyone finish.“We value participation, not timing nor miles completed,” she said. “So we’ve created a fantastic support system to try to ensure that everyone who starts the event will be able to cross the finish line one way or another. That system includes constant monitoring of the condition of our participants by water stop volunteers, our cycling marshals and the St John Ambulance crew to try and address any issues as early in the day as possible. And an essential part of that system of care is the work of the team from Open Airways whose vans are used to transport to the gates at Dockyard anyone who can’t finish on their own.”Safety will be a big concern this year. Walkers-in-training will receive eye-catching orange T-shirts and reflective wrist bands.The Adult Education Center, Coalition for the Protection of Children, The Family Centre, Green Rock, The Reading Clinic, Saving Children and Revealing Secrets (SCARS), Westmeath, WindReach Recreational Village and the Women’s Resource Centre will all benefit from this year’s walk.Are you planning to walk the End-to-End for the first time this year? E-mail jmhardy@royalgazette.bm.For more information see www.bermudaendtoend.bm.