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ICE AGE TRAIL THRU-HIKERS RAISING MONEY
Last month, backpackers John Bauer and William Rhodes embarked on a thru-hike of the Ice Age Trail, a
1,000-mile footpath that wends its way across Wisconsin.
At the same time, the duo aimed to raise money for the Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation by soliciting
pledges. A pledge of 1 cent per mile would mean a donation of $25 for the entire 1,000-mile trip – a journey the men hoped to complete in five to six weeks.
In a fund-raising letter, Bauer wrote that the money raised will help "maintain, sustain, build and obtain land
for the trail" which is far from complete. All proceeds will be donated to the Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation.
Pledge checks should be made payable to the Waupaca County Ice Age Trail Chapter, 811 Harding St., Waupaca, WI 54981. For more information on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, visit www.iceagetrail.org.
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10TH ANNUAL CHICAGO HALF MARATHON FILLING FAST
Chicago Roadrunners offering 14-week training program
Named one of the top 10 half marathons in the United States by Runner's World magazine, registration for
the 10th anniversary Banco Popular Chicago Half Marathon on October 1 is quickly approaching the cap of 10,000 runners. As of mid-June, race registration was up 150 percent from the same time last year.
When registering for Chicago Half Marathon, be sure to sign up for the official training program offered by Chicago Roadrunners. Designed by running legend, Olympic medalist and New York City Marathon
champion Rod Dixon, the 14-week training program will help runners, joggers and those interested in becoming more fit reach their goal in a fun and educational setting.
Saturday morning training runs start July 1 and last through September 23, meeting each week at the Lincoln Park Clock Tower at 3700 N. Recreation Drive. Training runs are tailored to every ability level, from a
13-minute per mile walk/run group to an advanced 7-minute per mile group.
Participation in the Chicago Roadrunners program includes a performance shirt, five educational clinics, a
complete training schedule, and a detailed training manual to provide information and advice. Weekly training runs are fully supported with Gatorade and fresh fruit.
Registration for the Chicago Half Marathon and the training program is $97 through June 30. The fee for the training program is $75.
The race is staged on the front lawn of the Museum of Science and Industry campus and runs along the shore of Lake Michigan.
For more race information, registration forms and and discounted hotel rates, go to www.chicagohalfmarathon.com.
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CITY OF LAKES 25K MARKS 25TH RUNNING
September 10, 2006, will mark the 25th running of the City of Lakes 25K in Minnesota's Twin Cities. The successor of the City of Lakes Marathon, this race and the Twin Cities Marathon (TCM) were first run in
1982. The 25K is still run on the Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun loop course. The loop served as the course for the City of Lakes Marathon from 1975 to 1981.
With the creation of TCM, which combined the cities of both Minneapolis and St. Paul, the City of Lakes 25K was created to provide runners with a middle distance event for fall marathons. In the 1990s, many of
the top finishers in TCM also ran in the City of Lakes 25K three weeks earlier. Prize and travel money were additional incentives. Marty Froelick set the course record of 1:16:21 one year prior to winning TCM.
To mark the 25th running, the Minnesota Distance Running Association invited Jeff Winter, the creator of the race and its race director through 1997, to return and direct this year's race.
Winter has announced several changes to the race format for the 2006 race. The 25K will return to its former course with the start of the race at the southwest corner of Lake Harriet and the finish at the Lake
Harriet Band Shell. The Lake Harriet Band Shell area will serve as the logistical center of the race. Runners will see their half marathon time digitally displayed on their final loop of Lake Harriet.
There will be prize money for registered USTAF team entries and marathon training teams. Entries will be limited to the first 1,100, and those received prior to August 1 will pay a lower fee. A special 25th year
commemorative glass stein will be presented to all finishers. (Winter also announced the return of the race's former logo: the familiar City of Lakes circle with its iconic sailboat.)
Plans are being explored for a shorter 5K on Lake Harriet following the 25K. Net proceeds from the 5K, if held, will likely be donated for maintenance of the Lake Harriet Band Shell, renovated in 2004.
There will be a brief commemoration and award ceremony after the race where several people instrumental in the creation and running of the event will receive their 2006 commemorative mugs.
For more information or to obtain a written history of the City of Lakes race, contact Heidi Keller Miler at, 952/927-0983, or Jeff Winter at 612/306-2732.
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MILWAUKEE URBAN WATER TRAIL NAMED 'NATIONAL RECREATION TRAIL'
Four other Upper Midwest trails also earn federal designation
Friends of Milwaukee's Rivers' Milwaukee Urban Water Trail – a paddling guide for canoes and kayaks – was one of 36 trails in 24 states recently designated by the National Parks Service as a National
Recreational Trail.
The Milwaukee Urban Water Trail is a 35-mile water trail that flows through urban portions of the
Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic rivers, providing miles of access and paddling to the 1.5 million people in the greater Milwaukee metropolitan area.
The Milwaukee Urban Water Trail also consists of a map for canoes, kayaks and other small nonmotorized boats on the "urban" portions of our three rivers. Water trail guides are comprised of access points,
portages and resting sites, and also include information on historical, cultural, ecological or scenic points of interest along the way.
The ultimate goal of a water trail is to connect more people to the rivers in their back yards, and to inspire stewardship and protection of waterways.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne designated the Milwaukee Urban Water Trail and 35 other trails in 24 states as new National Recreation Trails, adding more than 800 miles of trails to the National
Trails System. Each of the trails inducted will receive a certificate of designation and trail markers. They join
a network of more than 900 trails encompassing more than 10,000 miles. The announcement coincided with the 14th annual celebration of National Trails Day on Saturday, June 3.
Kempthorne also designated the following upper Midwest trails as National Recreation Trails:
Illinois
Sam Vadalabene Great River Road Bike Trail. Known as one of the oldest trails in St. Louis and a key
connector, this 21.5-mile scenic rail-trail offers visitors a variety of recreational experiences along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers.
Iowa
Raccoon River Valley Trail. This 56-mile rail-trail is the backbone of the Central Iowa Trails Plan, linking
numerous trails within the region and offering recreational opportunities to more than half a million people.
Michigan
Paint Creek Trail. This 8.9-mile rail-trail, identified as the first rail-trail in Michigan, is an integral part of the
extensive Oakland Trail Network and follows the Paint Creek as it flows through diverse natural habitats, offering nature lovers the opportunity to observe a variety of wildlife.
Wisconsin
Jacobus Park Nature Trail. This 0.9-mile hiking and biking loop trail in Wauwatosa takes visitors through a woodland island in metropolitan Milwaukee and provides a unique natural outdoor classroom for area
schoolchildren.
The National Recreation Trails program is jointly administered by the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails
and Conservation Assistance program and the U.S. Forest Service in conjunction with a number of other federal and nonprofit partners, notably American Trails, which hosts the National Recreation Trail website
at www.american trails.org/nationalrecreationtrails. More information is available online at http://www.nps.gov/rtca.
For more information on the Milwaukee Urban Water Trail, go to www.mkeriverkeeper.org.
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NISSAN XTERRA MIDWEST CHAMPIONSHIP RETURNS TO MILWAUKEE AUGUST 5-6
At the Nissan Xterra Midwest Champ-ionship, back in Milwaukee on August 5-6, the pros will be racing
for a $20,000 purse while age groupers battle for world championship slots. The off-road triathlon includes a 1.5K swim in Lake Michigan at McKinley Beach, 30K of mountain biking along the Milwaukee River and
a 10K trail run that twists through Veterans Park. There is also the half-distance Xterra Sport Race.
Last year's debut race became an instant classic despite temps in the upper 90s and pockets of
bone-chilling water in the lake. A stacked pro field is expected to return to Milwaukee, including two-time Xterra World Champion Melanie McQuaid.
"I think courses within the city are some of the most fun," McQuaid said. "It was really cool to be in a major urban area and this course is a good addition. It is somewhat technical."
McQuaid elaborated: "This course includes 310 stairs. This race could become known as the crazy stairs course."
Also racing will be age grouper Cathy Diamond of Milwaukee who recalled that her race at last year's Xterra World Championship in Hawaii was the athletic experience of a lifetime. Diamond calls Xterra a
great change of pace from the typical road triathlon.
"Xterra relies on special mountain biking and trail running skills that you don't have to worry about in road
triathlons," she said. "I'm a big tomboy at heart and I like to get dirty. With Xterra, Mother Nature is your biggest competitor."
The Nissan Xterra Midwest Champ- ionship is part of the Nissan Xterra USA Championship Series, now in its sixth year. The series provides age groupers with a bonafide championship to compete for within their
geographic region. It's the only series of its kind in off-road multi-sport racing, offering more than 50 races
in more than 30 states and the U.S. Territories of Puerto Rico, Guam and Saipan. At the end of the regular season the top performers in each of eight regions are invited to compete for the national championship at
Lake Tahoe's Incline Village in Nevada on October 1.
The Midwest Championship weekend is filled with events for athletes and spectators of all ages. New this
year is a Saturday afternoon mountain bike race that follows the Xterra Scramble off-road fun run that benefits the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee.
Other weekend activities include the Nissan Kids Base Camp, a professional hair cut-a-thon for charity, free clinics taught by the pros and an expo area with music, gear and more.
For more information about Xterra and the Milwaukee events, go to www.XTER RA planet.com.
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WHEELS FOR WINNERS GETS BOOST FROM MADISON CYCLISTS, REI
Wheels for Winners, a not-for-profit, all-volunteer Madison, Wisconsin-based organization, on June 10 received some 50 bicycles to be refurbished and given to low-income and minority youth.
Each year, about 200 children and teens who perform 15 hours of community service or complete a school-based reading enrichment program receive a bicycle through Wheels for Winners. By attending bike
safety and maintenance classes, youths can also earn bike locks and helmets.
In an effort to support Wheels for Winners and their programs, REI hosted a bike drive from May through
June 10. In addition to hosting the bike drive, REI pledged a $5,000 grant to help support and expand the Wheels for Winners programs.
The June 10 REI Bike Festival included a Kid's Bike Rodeo, bicycle safety checks, a safety course and mountain bike time trial, all free of charge.
For more information on Wheels for Winners, visit www.wheelsforwinners.org.
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WINTER RECREATION PARK PROPOSED FOR NHAL STATE FOREST
BOULDER JUNCTION, Wis. – The town of Boulder Junction is seeking permission to develop a new winter recreation park on 20 acres of Northern Highland-American Legion (NHAL) State Forest land.
Before that can happen, the state forest master plan must be amended so the 20 acres currently classified
for "forest production" is changed to "recreation management." The classification would allow the town to
develop a winter park including a warming shelter, lighted ice skating rink and 20-car gravel parking lot. In
addition, the park would feature a lighted 1-mile loop hiking trail open for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing but which would not be groomed.
The proposed development will provide winter recreation opportunities not currently available in the area, according to Jeff Olsen, acting NHAL forest superintendent. "The town of Boulder Junction is surrounded
by state forest and does not have land available for this development," Olsen said.
The proposed recreation development will provide ice skating and night skiing opportunities for forest
visitors and residents in and around the town of Boulder Junction. The developed core area will serve as a trailhead to a larger network of state forest trail.
The Department of Natural Resources has determined that the project would not have any significant adverse environmental effects.
A description and map of the proposed amendment is available on the DNR website. Additional information is also available from Jeff Olsen who can be reached at 715/385-3362 or Jeffrey.Olsen@dnr.state.wi.us.
Comments on the proposed amendment addressed to Olson must be submitted by no later than 4:30 p.m., July 12.
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RIVER CLEANING CANOEISTS PADDLE TO SE IOWA
DES MOINES, Iowa – An armada of trash-seeking canoeists floated through southeast Iowa in mid-June during the fourth annual Project AWARE (A Watershed Awareness River Expedition).
The event was expected to bring hundreds of volunteers to the Iowa and English rivers. On Saturday, June 17, the expedition was expected to set out from a site near Iowa City, and scheduled to arrive at the
Mississippi River on June 24. (This event was scheduled to take place after press time.)
Along the way, participants will have fished pop cans and plastic sacks from the water, wrenched tires and
barrels out of muddy embankments and spent their evenings learning about natural resources.
Volunteers were invited to join the expedition for one day, the entire week or any amount of time in
between. The program provides canoes, free camping, low-cost meals and evening "infotainment" programs.
Look for trash from this year's project at the Iowa State Fair. Ogden artist David Williamson will help fairgoers turn some of the recovered garbage into a sculpture.
Since its first outing on the Maquoketa River in 2003, Project AWARE has brought volunteers to a different Iowa watershed every June. Making a public stand for water quality, the program lets everyday citizens
make a difference – one stretch of river, one piece of trash at a time.
This year, in response to public demand, Project AWARE's organizers offered an additional service. Local
groups wishing to put on cleanups can apply for CLEAR (Community Leaders Enhancing Area Rivers) mini-grants worth $1,000. Find more information at www.iowater.net.
Two volunteer programs within the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), IOWATER and Keepers of the Land work with numerous sponsors to organize AWARE.
For more information, contact Brandon Harland at 515/281-3150 or at brandon.harland@dnr.state.ia.us.
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