Out walking toward a cure

Mike Sciacca

He showed no sign of wear and tear Saturday. But right after Nathan

Auerbach swigged from his water bottle under the Huntington Beach

Pier, he set forth on his momentous journey that surely will offer up

aches and pains, as well as joys and triumphs.

“It’s only been a few days but already, the experience has been

amazing,” said the tanned and fit 26-year-old, just moments before he

was about to head north on the boardwalk at the pier, and continue on

the eighth day of his ‘West Coast Walk.’

The West Coast Walk -- ultimately, a 2,200-mile journey --

originally was an idea of Auerbach’s to raise $1 million for Rotary

International’s PolioPlus program. The Rotary Club of Coto de

Caza/Santa Margarita then organized the walk in celebration of Rotary

International’s centennial celebration.

Auerbach, himself a Rotarian, began his journey May 1 in Tijuana,

Mexico. He alternated walking and running his way through San Diego

County, then into Orange County.

On Saturday, Auerbach, decked out in walking shorts and

short-sleeved athletic shirt, walked a 25-mile leg from Five Crowns

restaurant in Corona del Mar, through Newport Beach, and made a stop

at the Huntington Beach Pier before heading for his final destination

of the day, Long Beach.

Rotarians from Surf City, Newport Beach, Seal Beach, Los Alamitos,

Signal Hill and Long Beach came out to support Auerbach as he

trekked through their respective cities.

Several Rotarians walked local portions of the route Saturday,

including Marleen Meyer, president of the Rotary of Huntington

Beach’s Noon Club. Meyer met up with Auerbach in Newport Beach, then

accompanied him to the pier.

His trek will take him through the major coastal cities of

California, Oregon and Washington. The journey will come to an end

sometime in mid-August in the Canadian city of Vancouver, British

Columbia.

In all, Auerbach will visit 100 Rotary clubs in 100 cities during

his 100-day journey, in honor of Rotary’s 100 years of service.

The walk also is in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the

Salk vaccine for polio.

“This is something I dreamt up one day,” Auerbach said of the West

Coast Walk. “I wanted to make a difference and went about making it

happen, instead of just saying I’d like to do it, and then have

nothing come out of the idea.”

With an athletic background that included crew and running a few

marathons, Auerbach, who moved from England to Ladera Ranch in 2004,

got in touch with local Rotarians and presented his idea.

“They embraced it, and it took off from there,” he said. “But

there’s a lot that goes into staging something of this magnitude. The

logistics to organize such an event can be overwhelming.

“There are contacts and different events scheduled along the

route, volunteers, time schedules, and local Rotarians are opening up

their homes along the way, offering me a place to stay at night.”

Navigating the journey is Clare King, the project manager and

physical therapist for Auerbach. King travels the route by van, which

contains the necessities Auerbach will need during his walk.

Founded in 1985, PolioPlus came about as an effort to protect

children worldwide from polio. Recent statistics show that there are

still 1,200 known cases of polio.

Today, Rotary International has supported PolioPlus in immunizing

more than two billion children in 22 countries, and has contributed

$600 million toward reduction and prevention of the disease in the

past 20 years.

The West Coast Walk will go down in history, said Meyer.

“PolioPlus has been such a focus of Rotary for years. It’s not so

much a prevalent disease as it once was, but it still is heavy in

countries like Africa and in the Middle East. Hopefully, this walk

will bring attention to the fight against polio.”

Auerbach said he began training for the walk during the past year,

specifically doing what he called “little walks,” which were 25 miles

long.

All in the name of a great cause.

“The whole reason I came to California to do this was because the

American public really gets behind a cause. By doing this walk, I

challenge that public to support a young man walking to make a

difference. If we do hit our target, then I’ll dream up something

else to do in the future.”

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at

(714) 966-4611 or by e-mail at [email protected].