Colony Square Mall Walker Nears Major Milestone

Boyd Otero is about to accomplish a goal he set for himself 12 years ago when battling an addiction with alcohol – walking around the world.

In a press release, Otero said, “I had been in [Alcoholics Anonymous] for 5 years, they say alcoholics never finish anything. That kind of stuck in my gizzard. I’m going to show them! I’m going to pick a goal that’s big!”

On the fifth anniversary of his sobriety in 2003, the 69-year-old Otero set out on his journey by joining the Colony Square Mall’s mall walker program – and never left.

Using a log book provided by the mall to track his distance, Otero began his trek of walking 24,901.55 miles – the circumference of the earth – by completing laps around the interior corridors of the mall, where one lap around equals one-half mile.

As part of the mall walker program, once participants complete 100 miles, they turn in their log book and receive a pin for their accomplishment. So far, the mall says Otero has a collection of over 247 pins and is less than 200 miles from completing his goal.

To honor his impending accomplishment, Colony Square Mall has planned a special ceremony for Friday, October 16 at 1:00 p.m, and the local community is encouraged to join Otero on his final laps “around the world.”

“As an avid supporter of the Zanesville community, it is with great pride that we honor one of our own for this remarkable accomplishment,” said Teri Schaller, General Manager of Colony Square Mall. “Boyd set a very lofty expectation for himself 12 years ago and we are thrilled that Colony Square Mall provided him with a supportive and comfortable environment for every step of his journey. We would love for the Zanesville community to come out and join Boyd on his final few laps ‘around the world’ on October 16.”