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Lap the Lake for the Library rescheduled for March 3 The fourth annual Lap the Lake for the Library ski race and tour had to reschedule its traditional Saturday before Super Bowl Sunday date due to the extreme temperatures and windchills on February 3. The race was rescheduled on Saturday, March 3, to start at the Gerlach Road Boat Landing on Nelson Lake five miles north of Hayward, Wisconsin. All of the fun planned for the original date will happen on March 3, including the luminary-lighted course, heated tent with food and entertainment, 8K race for skiers and showshoers with awards, new 4K tour, costume contest, random prize drawing (including new Atomic Pro Race skis fitted by Outdoor Ventures), commemorative pins for adults and medallions for children and, of course, the couch on skis, making the event the official Couch Potato Olympics. The only change will be to the start times due to the later sunset: 6 p.m. for skiers in the 8K race and at 6:10 p.m. for all snowshoers and 4K tour skiers. The course will be groomed for both skate and classic track skiing. For an entry form or more information, contact the Hayward Carnegie Library at 715/634-2161, hlibrary@hayward.nwls .lib.wi.us or go to www.nelsonlake.net for an updated printable PDF entry form. Triathlons serve as state qualifiers for 'Best of the U.S.' amateur competition From April through August, licensed amateur triathletes will compete in their state's designated USAT-sanctioned, sprint or international distance qualifying races. Male and female winners will be named best of their state and earn sponsor awards, and the right to compete at the designated finals championship race. One male and one female representative from each of the 50 states will congregate on the scenic shore of Lake Eloise at Florida's Cypress Gardens Adventure Park on October 6, 2007. The winners of the championship will be named "Best of the U.S. Amateur Triathletes." State qualifying races for upper Midwest triathletes are as follows: IOWA Pigman Sprint Triathlon, June 3 Pleasant Creek State Park, 12 miles north of Cedar Rapids, IA .5K swim, 25K bike, 5K run www.pigmantri.com; john@pigmantri.com WISCONSIN Wisconsin Triterium Triathlon, June 17 Fireman's Park, Verona, WI Sprint: 400-meter swim, 10.5-mile bike, 3.1-mile run Olympic: 1,500-meter swim, 24.9-mile bike, 6.2-mile run www.triloop.org; triathlon@enduranceperformance.com MINNESOTA Lake Waconia Sprint Triathlon, June 24 Lake Waconia, Waconia, MN Half mile swim, 16.5-mile bike, 4-mile run www.lakewaconiatriathlon.net; waconia triathlon@aol.com MICHIGAN Waterloo Triathlon, July 15 Waterloo Recreation Area, Grass Lake, MI Sprint: Half mile swim, 16-mile bike, 4 mile run www.eliteendeavors.com/race_waterloo.cfm; jdjp@eliteendeavors.com ILLINOIS Evergreen International Triathlon, July 21 Comlara County Park, Hudson, IL 1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run http://tri-shark.org/evergreentri/; colleen@tri-shark.org Fairview Lakes offers free Triathlon 101 classes Now open for registration are free Triathlon 101 classes in advance of the Chisago Lakes Triathlon on July 29. There is still time to attend and learn the basics of completing your first triathlon. Topics include creating a training schedule, nutrition, swimming technique, biking, running form, sports psychology and pulling it all together to confidently complete a multisport event. Midwest Sports Events offers a $10 discount on registration for the Chisago Lakes Triathlon to athletes who complete the Triathlon 101 course. Triathlon 101 classes have filled fast in the past and preregistration is required. To register or get more information, call 612/672-7272. For more information on the July 29 Chisago Lakes Triathlon, call 800/429-8044, visit www.midwestsportsevents.com or e-mail info@midwestsportsevents.com. March 5 class Sara Nelson, RN, Fairview Home Caring and Hospice, will lead the first class, titled "Doing Your First Tri." Nelson participated in her first triathlon last year at the Chisago Lakes Triathlon and will talk about her experience. She will give tips and advice for those planning on their first event. Transitions instruction will be provided by Juliann Wilcox, PT, Fairview Lakes Home Caring and Hospice. Wilcox has been a physical therapist for 25 years and has experience in many areas including orthopedics and sports medicine. She has participated in numerous multisport events and will talk about tips and tools to plan the transition part of your race. Gloria West, race director for Midwest Sports Events, will talk about the planning and layout of the Chisago Lakes Triathlon and will answer questions. March 12 class "Setting Up Your Program" is what Matt Haugen will teach on this occasion. A 10-time Ironman, Haugen was the USA Triathlon National Teams coach and directed the first USA Olympic Triathlon Program from 1997 to 2000. He also served as the Elite World Triathlon Championships, Pan Am Games and National Resident Team head coach. A doctoral candidate in sports psychology, Haugen holds a master's degree in exercise science and coaches triathletes from beginners to elite. He will talk about the basics of setting up your training program to be successful in your first triathlon. Haugen will hold a separate discussion on the basics of swim technique and how to enhance one's form and performance in the water. March 19 class Dr. Kevin Ronneberg, Fairview Sports and Orthopedic Care, will tackle "Nutrition for Triathletes." Ronneberg, who personally competes in numerous multisport events, will cover the basics of nutrition and how to tailor your nutritional program for the unique needs of multisport athletes. Ronneberg, assisted by staff from Forest Lake Cycle and Skate, will also review the basics of proper bike fit to enhance performance and reduce injuries. "Keeping Your Focus/Motivation" will be the topic addressed by Deanna Nelson, M.Ed, ATC, Fairview Sports and Orthopedic Care. Nelson is a doctoral candidate in sport psychology. She was the head athletic trainer for the Minnesota Ballet and the University of Minnesota-Duluth woman's hockey team. She is currently the athletic trainer for North Branch High School. March 26 class "Strains and Sprains: What Are They and What Can I Do?" will be the question answered by Ronneberg. He will return to talk about shin splints, Achilles' tendonitis, IT band syndrome and other soreness issues that commonly afflict athletes. Ronneberg will also present strategies to overcome these injuries. Nick Marvin, MPT, of Fairview Sports and Orthopedic Care, will talk about proper running form. As a sports and orthopedic physical therapist who specializes in treating running injuries, Marvin will address the basics of efficient running form and how to pick the right shoes. Navarino Nature Center to host new 15K & 6K trail runs April 28 The Navarino Nature Center in Shiocton, Wisconsin, and Great Lakes Endurance will team up to put on trail runs of 15K and 6K on Saturday, April 28. There will also be a 1-mile kids' run. The Navarino Nature Center is located at the 15,000-acre Navarino Natural Area managed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The natural area is an ecological gem featuring oak savannah, white pine forest, wildlife rich ponds, spruce and birch-lined bogs and several well-managed tall grass prairies. Both the 15K and 6K events will start at 10 a.m. near the nature center's outdoor amphitheater. The 15K course is a single winding loop on the most scenic trails in the system, including over 3 miles along the Pikes Peak Loop and 80-acre flowages. The 6K course follows a more heavily forested route. The kids' race is a single loop through the woods on a grass trail. Age group prizes will include half-pound blocks of locally made aged cheddar, colby and marble jack cheeses courtesy of Oak Grove Dairy in nearby Clintonville. Overall winners will receive trail running shoes. All runners will be treated to a post-race cookout of food raised, produced or grown in northeastern Wisconsin. Guests of runners can purchase tickets to the cookout at the race. Great Lakes Endurance coordinates three other trail running events in the Upper Great Lakes watershed including the Keweenaw Trail Running Festival, the Grand Island Trail Marathon and 10K, and, new in 2007, the Tahqua Trail Run. The Navarino Trail Run is the organization's first event in Wisconsin. Great Lakes Endurance is recognized for conducting its events in an ecologically sensitive manner. Runners can register and find additional race information at www.greatlakesendurance.com. Eastern U.P. to host new Tahqua 25K Trail Run on August 25 The new Tahqua 25K Trail Run in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, set for August 25, will link Lake Superior with the Upper Tahquamenon Falls – the second largest waterfall east of the Mississippi. The Tahqua 25K will be coordinated by Great Lakes Endurance in conjunction with the Paradise School and Tahqua-menon State Park. Great Lakes Endurance organizes two other major trail events in Michigan's Upper Peninsula: the Kewee-naw Trail Running Festival (KTRF), set for July 7-8, and the Grand Island Trail Marathon (GITM), taking place July 28. The new trail run will start near Whitefish Bay on Lake Superior. Initially the course will follow a dirt forest road west along the Tahquamenon River before hopping on the North Country Trail. The NCT's singletrack winds through white pine forest, spruce swale, lush bogs and Jack Pine savannah. The trail skirts the southern ridge of both the Camp 10 Lakes and the Water Tank Lakes. At mile 11, runners will encounter the Lower Tahquamenon Falls. Here the NCT becomes the River Trail and follows the bank through dense hemlock, yellow birch and sugar maple. The course finishes on the trail above the upper falls. The entire course is located within Tahqua-menon Falls State Park. In addition to the 25K race, an 8K race from the lower falls to the upper falls will provide an event for runners wanting to run a shorter distance. And a 1-mile kids' run will take young trail runners on a tour of some of the park's old growth white pines. The region features some of the best wild blueberry fields and cranberry bogs in the U.P. At other Great Lakes Endurance events, locally grown food is served to participants and given as awards, so it will come as no surprise that finishers of the Tahqua will be treated to wild blueberry-filled pastries and other desserts at the race finish. The 2007 Grand Island Trail Marathon near Munising in the U.P. will feature a new course. The island's thumb will be included on the course and the perimeter trail will be run counterclockwise. Registration is now open for GITM and KTRF (which includes a 10K, 5.8K hill climb and 25K trail runs). Complete race information can be found at www.greatlakesendurance.com or by e-mailing info@greatlakesendurance.com. Wausau running club to host first half marathon, May 5 The Wausau Area Runners Club (WARC) will organize its first half marathon, 5K and kids' race on Saturday, May 5. The half marathon and 5K, sponsored by the Marshfield Clinic, will start in front of Wausau Center in downtown Wausau, Wisconsin, at 8 a.m. The racecourse will take runners north to Texas Township and return them south on Third Street. The 5K route will go to Winton Street and south on Third Street before leading back to the Wausau Center. The kids' race, for children 6 years old and under, will consist of two laps of a city block and will start at 10:30 a.m. To register, go to www.wausauhalfmarathon.com or pick up an entry form at the Wausau Center office. Registration will be from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on May 4 at the Wausau Center, but there will no registration the day of the event. The first 300 registrants will receive a technical running shirt. The fee is $20 for the half marathon and 5K. The kids race is free. WARC member Paul Zaal said the event will feature a Marshfield Clinic team challenge in which individual businesses are encouraged to enter five employees. The top three finishers will then be scored as a team. For more information about the event, contact Paul Zaal during business hours at 715/842-0472 or visit www.wausauhalfmarathon.com. WARC promotes running and fitness among Wausau area residents of all ages and abilities through fellowship, education and running events. For more information, go to http://revelinrunning.com/WARC. Lake Superior College offers Grandma's Marathon class; Olympic hopeful Katie Koski to teach online course Lake Superior College in Duluth, Minnesota, is again offering the chance to train for and run Grandma's Marathon or the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon for college credit while working with a world-class athlete. The option to take class as a noncredit course is also available. The course provides race training and nutritional information in addition to history, etiquette and basic skills. Katie Koski, a Duluth native, will teach the online physical education course. Koski is a champion runner who hopes to qualify for the Beijing Olympics team trials. She was asked to teach the online course for LSC because of her experience competing in Grandma's Marathon. She has finished the race eight times, finishing sixth,, seventh and 10th respectively with a 2:42 best. Koski was named to the 2006 World Cup 100K Team based on her performance at the Edmund Fitzgerald Race in 2005. Although she is only 33 years old, this is her 20th year of competitive running. "The beauty of running for me is its simplicity," Koski said. "One only needs a decent pair of shoes, a path and a vision – even if the vision is simply to get from here to there." She added, "Running is a great teacher, and I have learned much about myself by lacing up shoes each day and heading down some path." Koski's goal is to achieve the Olympic Trails Standard at Grandma's this June. This will enable her to compete in the Women's Olympic Trials in Boston in April 2008. If she runs the standard – sub 2:47 – she will begin to prepare for her third U.S. Women's Olympic Trials. More than 17,000 runners and 50,000 race fans from around the world are expected to participate in June 15-17, Grandma's Marathon weekend. The registration deadline to sign up for the Grandma's Marathon course is March 20. For more information, visit or contact Christine Torma at 218/733-2030 or c.torma@lsc.edu A member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, LSC is northeastern Minnesota's largest two-year college. Des Plaines River Canoe Marathon hits 50 on May 20 In 1779, when Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable established the first permanent residence where the city of Chicago would arise, he came by canoe. He thereby initiated a sequence of events that led 178 years thereafter to the Des Plaines River Canoe Marathon. The May 20 event will mark the 50th anniversary of the marathon – the largest single-day canoe race in the country and the second oldest continuously running race. In recognition of this golden anniversary, the Des Plaines River Association wishes both to locate and bring back early participants as well as introduce first timers to an exciting day along the most scenic section of the river. From Libertyville to Dam No. 2 Woods near Mount Prospect, the 18.5-mile course winds through forest preserves of Lake and Cook counties, past nature centers and golf courses, and through municipalities bordering the river. The race includes a range of participants, from highly trained competitors who have gone on to Olympic paddling, to people more interested in the scenery and serenity of the river. Some paddle in specially designed canoes or kayaks built to maximize racing efficiency, while others use rental canoes. Twenty-two classes of competitors race against paddlers of similar age, boat design and gender combination categories, including a parent-child class. Awards are also presented to the three best-decorated canoes. Over the years, proceeds from past marathons have supported youth paddler development programs, a summer camp for children with cancer, river conservation groups, forest preserve studies of dam modification and paid for the erection of river safety signs. This year the Upper Des Plaines River Ecosystem Partnership is placing temporary signs along the racecourse to draw attention to historical and environmental happenings along the river. In addition, a display of memorabilia from the early days of the event will be found at the finish line. Past participants are encouraged to loan their mementos (photos, news clips, early canoes). E-mail display chairman Lynn Snarr at lrsnarr@comcast.net to explore exhibiting the item. And if you know someone who competed in the first marathon, bring him or her along and race for free. Other features will include a voyageur encampment – the first of several 2007 exhibitions by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County – to address aspects of the area's early history. There will also be exhibits of area wildlife and forest patrol horsemanship, and a greater variety of food vendors from which to refuel and refresh after the marathon. Further information and registration materials can be found at www.canoemarathon.com or by calling 847/604-2445. Inland Sea Kayak Symposium, June 14-17 The Inland Sea Kayak Symposium, to be held June 14-17, will piggyback last year's "Finding Your Way" theme with a program for those who do not always find their way successfully. With the theme "Rescue Me," the 18th annual event will feature the renowned rescue expert George Gronseth, columnist for Sea Kayaker Magazine and founder of the Sea Kayak Academy. Gronseth wrote Deep Trouble, the rescue manual. Gronseth will be the keynote speaker for the weekend and will lead an expert paddle and assist in an afternoon of rescue. Eric Larsen ( www.ericlarsenexplore.com ), an extreme polar explorer and environmental educator, will kick off the symposium Thursday evening. Expect him to talk about his Arctic expeditions with humor, wit, passion for adventure and a deep caring for the environment. It is bound to be an engaging presentation that sheds light on the global need for rescue. The symposium is a full weekend of paddling tours, on-water instruction, seminars, speakers, food and old-fashioned fun. The finale will include an "American Idol" meets the "Gong Show" talent show, showcasing the more artistic aptitudes of the paddling community. The Inland Sea Kayak Symposium is organized by the Inland Sea Society, a nonprofit conservation organization focused on the health of Lake Superior. The Inland Sea Society teams with Living Adventure Inc., a kayaking outfitter on Lake Superior, to put on the symposium. The symposium is held at Thompson's West End Park in Washburn, Wisconsin, on Lake Superior and near the Apostle Islands. For more information log onto www.inlandsea.org or email iss@inlandsea.org. RAGBRAI 2007 route announced for July 22-28 bike tour The route for the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI 2007) has been announced. The 35th annual, seven-day bicycle tour will travel between the following communities on these dates: • Sunday, July 22: Rock Rapids to Spencer • Monday, July 23: Spencer to Humboldt • Tuesday, July 24: Humboldt to Hampton • Wednesday, July 25: Hampton to Cedar Falls • Thursday, July 26: Cedar Falls to Independence • Friday, July 27: Independence to Dyersville • Saturday, July 28: Dyersville to Bellevue Instead of entering for the week, participants may enter for daily wristbands for $25 per day. There is a limit of three days per person for the daily wristbands. A weeklong rider fee is $125; a weeklong nonrider fee is $35. A vehicle permit is $35. The cost includes wristbands, route-marking signage, baggage transportation, camping accommodations, discounts, SAG wagon services, emergency medical services, traffic control, souvenir patch, daily route maps and entries into a drawing for a free bike for riders and other prizes for support vehicle drivers. The total mileage for RAGBRAI averages 472 miles while the daily mileage averages 68 miles. There is an optional century loop on one day each year for cyclists wanting the challenge. The entry postmark deadline is April 1. Entry forms, payment and signed waivers must be submitted prior to or on the deadline to be eligible for the lottery. RAGBRAI is limited to 8,500 weeklong riders and 1,500 daily riders. Entries can exceed the number of riders allowed, so a random computer lottery takes place after all of the entries are entered in the computer. Lottery results are available online on May 1. RAGBRAI is the longest, largest and oldest touring bicycle ride in the world. RAGBRAI is sponsored by the Des Moines Register. Wisconsin's oldest cross-state bike tour turns 30 This summer, the infamous Schramm's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Wisconsin (SAGBRAW) bike tour will celebrate 30 years of bike riding in Wisconsin. Begun by the Milwaukee Journal newspaper in 1976, the bike ride has led cyclists in a zigzag of adventures around the state over the past three decades. "For the ride's 30th birthday this year," said SAGBRAW tour director Eric Schramm of Two Bicycles and a Map Ltd., "we will be returning to the hugely popular Door County route." The fun will begin in the quaint lakeside town of Sturgeon Bay and follow Lake Michigan's picturesque shoreline to Port Washington from July 29-August 3. The bike tour will feature catered meals, friendly welcomes by communities on the route, and a festival atmosphere complete with music, entertainment, giveaways, contests and lots of fun. Two Bicycles and A Map Ltd. is also leading two additional scenic bike tours of Wisconsin. GRABAAWR (GReat Annual Bicycle Adventure Along the Wisconsin River) is the state's second oldest weeklong bike tour, and follows the 427-mile length of the Wisconsin River to its union with the Mississippi River. GRABAAWR will take place June 23-30. Two Bicycles and a Map will also organize another Bike Northwoods Tour through the northwoods of Wisconsin to the Apostle Islands National Seashore, July 7-14. For more information see www.bikewisconsin.com or contact 608/843-8412 or info@bikewisconsin.com.
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