Happy Trails       

East Lake Sammamish Trail finally opens                  
    On March 21, more than 100 people celebrated the official opening of the East Lake Sammamish Trail, an 11-mile path that links the cities of Issaquah, Sammamish and Redmond and provides a critical link in a 40-mile trail system that stretches from Ballard to the northern tip of Lake Washington and south to Interstate 90.
    They were a mix of bikers, runners, politicians, homeowners and business people who did not always agree that the path should be completed. Over a 7-year span, homeowners along Lake Sammamish who feared that traffic along the trail would invade their privacy filed over 20 lawsuits. But last spring, the county finally received the permits it needed to finish the trail after the U.S. District Court ruled in favor of the Cascade Land Conservancy.
    King County has already spent $1.6 million on the gravel path and plans call for it to eventually be paved.

Visit www.cascadeland.org or www.metrokc.gov/news/ for more information.

Swim, Bike, Run to Nationals

How to qualify for Age Group Championship

   As the triathlon season gets underway, many athletes are hoping this will be the year they qualify for the 2007 USA Triathlon (USAT) National Age Group Championship.
    Now there is a new way to do so.
    This is the inaugural season of the USAT Grand Prix Series, which showcases some of the country’s best races in the youth, sprint, (intermediate distance) and long distance triathlons, duathlon, and long distance duathlon categories. Athletes who participate in Grand Prix Series races and finish in the top 33 percent or top 5 (whichever is greater) in each age group will automatically qualify for the 2007 National Age Group Championship.

Win Big in Des Moines

HyVee Triathlon offers largest prize purse in history
   Triathletes from around the world will travel to Des Moines, Iowa to compete for the largest prize purse in triathlon history - $700,000. The first annual HyVee Triathlon will take place June 17 and is both an ITU World Cup and USAT-sanctioned event. Competitors will swim 1,500 meters, bike 40 kilometers and run 10 kilometers.
If you’re up for the challenge, you have until June 16 to turn in your registration fee of $150.

For more information, see http://hy-veetriathlon.com.

Native Planet Classic: Ride 4 a Reason
   The drive to Winthrop, Wash., is a small price to pay for the grand mountain vistas and low-traffic roads you’ll find along the Native Planet Classic, a new bicycle ride staged in the North Cascades June 11.
    Participants can choose between 28-miles, a metric century (63 miles) and super century (132 miles) routes on State Route 20, one of Washington’s best cycling highways. The two longer routes will climb up and over 5,477-foot Washington Pass.
    This is the first event sponsored by the Native Planet Outdoor Club (NPOC), a new Seattle-based cycling club that offers regularly-scheduled rides focused on camaraderie and fun. The money raised from the first Native Planet Classic will benefit Native Planet, a non-governmental organization based in Seattle that works to save the lives, cultures and lands of traditional indigenous communities worldwide.
   “I ride for transportation and enjoy recreational cycling, especially in a positive environment where camaraderie flourishes,” says Darol Tuttle, NPOC’s founder. “But riding is at its best when my personal enjoyment also serves an important cause that benefits others around the world.”
    Register before May 20 to secure a spot or volunteer for Native Planet Classic.

June 11: Native Planet Classic
Location: Winthrop, Wash.
Time: 6-10:30 a.m.
Distance: Three Routes: 28, 63 or 132 miles

Register online before May 20: www.ride4areason.org
More about Native Planet: www.nativeplanet.org

More Will Tri For Gold

Triathlon competition expanded for 2008 Olympic Games
   The International Triathlon Union (ITU) recently announced that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board has awarded five additional spots for the triathlon
competition in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. That brings the number of athletes allowed in the Olympic triathlon competition to 55 men and 55 women.
    An Olympic distance triathlon includes a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer cycle and
10-kilometer run. To qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games, triathletes must place in
Olympic-qualifying events that occur between June 1, 2006 and June 1, 2008 or at the
2008 World Championships in Vancouver, B.C., June 15, 2008.

For more information, visit www.triathlon.org or www.olympic.org.

Share the Road

May is National Bike Month

   You’ve seen them crossing the Hawthorne Bridge at 7 a.m. Or perhaps you’ve watched a swarm emerging from the Bainbridge Island ferry around 8. They are dressed in yellow and armed with lights.
    You’ve thought about joining these bike commuters and this is the best time to do it – National Bike Month is here.
    As potent a jump-start as a cup of coffee but much more rewarding, bike commuting might make going to work the best part of your day. Give it a try during Bike to Work Week May 15-19 and Bike to Work Day Friday, May 19.
    In Seattle, the Cascade Bicycle Club will sponsor the Starbucks Bike to Work Day, Group Health Commute Challenge and the Vulcan Bike to Work Breakfast. In Portland, the Lloyd District Transportation Management Association will host a celebration at Oregon Square Park on Bike to Work Day. Also, on the morning of May 17, there will be a celebration at Pioneer Courthouse Square.

   Visit www.bikemonth.com, or see www.cascade.org (Washington) and wwww.ldtma.com/bike.htm or www.gettingaroundportland.org (Portland) for a list of local events.

Half the Fun

Qualify for Worlds at the Lake Stevens 70.3 Triathlon

   As its name indicates, the Ironman triathlon is not for everyone. It’s s full-time job for only the extremely dedicated.
But now, for the first time ever, athletes who complete a half-Ironman, or a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and a 13.1-mile run, will have the unique opportunity to qualify for a world championship at that distance.
    Known as the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, the championship event is scheduled Nov. 11, 2006, in Clearwater, Fla. And for the next three years, the Lake Stevens Triathlon held in Lake Stevens, Wash., is one of 15 qualifiers and the only Pacific Northwest qualifier for the new Ironman 70.3 World Championship.
    This year’s race, scheduled Sunday, July 23, is limited to 1,200 people. If you are not quite ready for the half-Iron distance on your own, there is also a relay division. An international-distance triathlon and relay will also be offered.

For more information, see www.lakestevens703.com or www.ironmanlive.com.

Second Time's the Charm

Legally Blind Musher finishes the Iditarod

   It’s the Super Bowl of sled dog racing and Rachael Scdoris, a 21-year-old legally blind sled dog racer from Bend, Ore., has wanted to compete in it ever since she was 8 years old.

   Scdoris finally achieved her dream last year, qualifying for the 2005 Iditarod, but was forced to withdraw from the 1,100-mile-long race from Anchorage to Nome when her team of sled dogs fell ill with a virus.

   This year however, Scdoris and her team finished in 57th place with a time of 12 days 11 hours and 42 minutes. Scdoris used a radio to communicate with another musher (20-time Iditarod racer Tim Osmar), who acted as a visual interpreter and helped her navigate potential hazards on the course. This year’s attempt was not without mishap, however. Scdoris and her sled dog team were navigating a treacherous cliff in the Alaska Range when her sled slammed into a thick spruce tree, temporarily severing the line between her sled and dogs.

   With the help of Osmar, she managed to recover and cross the Iditarod finish line, becoming the first legally blind musher to finish the race.

   Scdoris was the February 2005 Outdoors NW Peak Performer. Read more about her at www.OutdoorsNW.com, under Editorial > Faces > Peak Performer.

Save the Date

Seattle Senior Games set for June 2-4

   Senior athletes take your mark! Registration is under way for the 2006 Greater Seattle Senior Games. This year’s games will take place June 2-4 at the Southwest Community Center and at Chief Seattle High School. (Southwest Community Center & Pool is located at 2801 SW Thistle St., and Chief Seattle High School is located at 2600 SW Thistle St.)

   The Greater Seattle Senior Games has offered healthy competition in various sports for people age 50 and older since 1998. Events will include bowling, hockey, golf, volleyball, tennis and track and field.

   For event information and a registration brochure please call Seattle Parks and Recreation 206-684-4240 or e-mail tim.pretare@seattle.gov.

Blogging for Trails

Online Blog helps hikers get heard

    Are you looking for a place to hike this weekend? Do you have something to say about trail user fees? The Washington Trails Association (WTA) is making it easier for trail users to discuss hiking-related issues such as great places to hike, Leave No Trace etiquette and environmental concerns, via a new blog dubbed “The Signpost.”

   “My hope is that we’ll get more folks talking in depth about news and issues of importance to the hiking community,” says Andrew Engelson, editor of Washington Trails magazine and The Signpost’s primary blogger.

   Hiking enthusiasts are encouraged to sign on and speak up about the issues that they care about most. The blog can be found at www.wta.org/blog.

   For more information, please contact Andrew Engelson at (206) 965-8556 or Andrew@wta.org.