Dismont nonetheless sets a lively pace on her annual trek from east to west.

She doesn't sweat, she doesn't fret, just one foot in front of the other, mile after mile, eyes always on the prize...fulfilling her pledge to help her fellow man, writes Nancy Acton .

Now a veteran of all eleven full-distance End-to-Ends, Mrs. Dismont regards the event as a highlight of her personal calendar, for there's nothing she enjoys more than raising money for charity. "I am a Gold Club member,'' she proudly declares. "I have raised over $1000 every time I've walked, and a few times I have raised over $2000.'' This year her total was $1,500. (Walkers who raise $1000 or more become Gold Club members).

Nattily turned out in yellow and white, complete with trendy peaked cap, Mrs.

Dismont strides the course with all the aplomb of a woman half her age. While she never sets out to break records, she does like to stick to a long-established pace that is comfortable for her, and which usually brings her to the finish line in around seven hours.

A well-known and popular participant, the sexagenarian draws encouragement from the cheers of bystanders, friends and family -- among them this year her sister and brother-in-law, who were visiting from Miami.

"The night before they made me spread out all my End to End T-shirts on the bed so they could admire them,'' she noted. "I've kept them from every year I've walked.'' Viewing her 1998 accomplishment from the Dockyard perspective, Mrs. Dismont attributed her success in going the distance in her usual time and without difficulty to several factors.

"Eight is my lucky number, I still take bee pollen, and then there's God's help,'' she said.

Of course, it helps that she regularly walks a minimum of 12 miles a week, participates in other charity walks, and numbers several mountain walks abroad, including Mount Sinai, among her accomplishments.

In fact, she wants it known that she "has shoes, will travel!'' And will she be back next year? "If God spares me, yes!'' is her emphatic response.