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Wisconsin DNR proposes trail pass fee hike The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold three public hearings in April to present several administrative code change proposals, including a $5 increase in the cost of state trail passes and consistent rules for properties purchased by the DNR for the Ice Age Trail. The DNR wishes to increase the cost of state trail passes from $15 to $20. However, the additional trail pass revenue is not likely to increase the budget for the maintenance and further development of the state's hiking and biking trails. Because the DNR does not have a dedicated fund for nonmotorized trails, as exists for ATV trails, trail pass revenues tends to go toward other state park and recreation projects. Legislation would be required to set up a nonmotorized trails fund. The DNR is also proposing that seven state parks start charging a $3 daily camping fee year round, as is customary at eight other state parks. The DNR may also start accepting reservations 11 months in advance for picnic areas, shelters, auditoriums, amphitheaters, tepees and yurts. The current rule allows reservations to be taken on the first business day in January. Language clarifying the purpose and management of State Ice Age Trail Areas has also been proposed. The agency wishes to identify allowed uses and activities in order to provide consistent and improved management. Some citizens may question the hunting restrictions in State Ice Age Trail Areas. Nevertheless, 97 percent of all existing DNR lands, which exceeds a million acres in Wisconsin, remains open to hunting. Rules are also being promulgated for the newly established Lake Shore State Park in downtown Milwaukee. Park hours and a prohibition on the consumption of alcohol outside organized events has yet to be determined and will be discussed at the hearings. Public hearings: • Monday, April 16, 4-6 p.m.: Gathering Waters Room, DNR South Central Region Headquarters, 3911 Fish Hatchery Road, Fitchburg. • Monday, April 23, 4-6 p.m.: Auditorium, Havenwoods State Forest, 6141 N. Hopkins Street, Milwaukee. • Wednesday, April 25, 4-6 p.m.: Council Chambers, Wausau City Hall, 407 Grant St., Wausau. Written comments about the proposed rule changes may be submitted via the website at http://adminrules.wisconsin.govor mailed to Kate Fitzgerald, Bureau of Facilities and Lands, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707. Comments will be accepted until May 4. Written comments, either e-mailed or sent by U.S. mail, will have the same weight and effect as oral statements presented at the public hearings. A personal copy of the proposed rule and fiscal estimate may be obtained from Fitzgerald. Madison man to run 1,000-mile Ice Age Trail As new off-road segments are continually added to the Ice Age National Scenic Trail across Wisconsin, a growing list of people are taking time to thru-hike the pedestrian path. As many as 30 people are known to have traversed the entire trail. Now comes ultramarathoner Jason Dorgan of Madison with plans to run it – all 1,000 miles of the trail – and raise the Ice Age Trail's public profile along the way. By running and hiking the trail 10 hours each day, Dorgan estimates he can cover 45 to 50 miles daily and complete the trek in 21 to 23 days. Dorgan hopes his self-imposed three-week challenge, starting April 14, will raise money and awareness for the Ice Age Trail. To that end, he is encouraging people to become members of the Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation. "The trail system is not complete yet. It includes over 400 miles of road which need to be converted to trails," Dorgan writes. "This means there is a need to buy or gain right of ways to key parcels which will allow for the conversion of road connector segments into trail segments." He hopes other runners will join him for all or part of the journey. Otherwise, he said he just wants to enjoy the trail and survive the experience of running it. Dorgan will start his run April 14 at Interstate State Park in St. Croix Falls and head eastward, winding his way until he reaches Potawatomi State Park in Sturgeon Bay. Dorgan hopes to run/hike at a pace of 14 minutes per trail mile and 10 minutes per road mile. Dorgan's schedule, based on his plan to run the trailin 20 50-mile segments, is tentative and may change due to the weather and "how well my body can hold up to over 45 miles of running per day," Dorgan writes. "If you want to support my run, you can mail me a pledge, come out and run a segment with me or join the Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation at www.iceage trail.org," Dorgan says in a full-page ad appearing in March issue of Ultrarunning magazine. The ad also promotes three ultramarathons on the Ice Age Trail: • May 12: Ice Age 50, www.iceage trail50.com • June 2: Kettle Moraine 100, www.kettle100.com • Oct. 14: Glacial Trail 50, www.bad gerlandstriders.org/GT50? For Dorgan's full itinerary and more information, go to www.iceagetrail1000 .com and click on "Jason's thru run." Minn. DNR publishes sustainable trail guide The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has just released its Trail Planning, Design & Development Guidelines. This 300-page spiral-bound publication, several years in the making, provides a first-ever comprehensive how-to guidebook for developing all types of recreational trails. The book details best practices for professional trail builders that will aid Minnesota land managers in applying new, innovative and environmentally sustainable approaches to trail planning, design and construction. According to Pete Webber, special projects director with the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) of Boulder, Colorado, the publication is among the very best. "By detailing a variety of trails from greenways to singletrack, Minnesota's new trail manual provides an impressive range of information in one of the most complete and helpful planning resources available," Webber said. Long a leader in natural-surface trail design, IMBA, which served as a consultant on the project, has also just released Managing Mountain Biking, the fourth in a series of highly acclaimed trail design guidebooks aimed at mountain bike trail builders and trail managers. The project was undertaken in response to the growing, changing demands for trails of all types, particularly the rapid growth in off-highway vehicle trails use. The DNR expects this guidebook to prove useful for grant-in-aid trail clubs and volunteers, local government sponsors, educators and both public and private land managers. The guidelines address both new and existing trail corridors, summer and winter-use trails and multiuse trails with paved or naturally surfaced treadways. Practical, low-cost and low-tech solutions to the unique challenges faced by Minnesota trail builders are highlighted, recognizing the state's wide range of soil and site conditions, riparian area concerns and climatic extremes. Trail project planning, funding, permitting and environmental review steps are also discussed and references are provided for those wishing to learn more. To order copies of Trail Planning, Design & Development Guidelines, call Minnesota's Bookstore toll-free at 800/657-3757 or order online at www.minnesotasbookstore.com. Refer to Stock No. 9-66. The book costs $19.95 plus $5 for shipping. Managing Mountain Biking, published last month by IMBA, is available for $35 at www.imba.com. InStep of Milwaukee to host Jeff Galloway April 22-23 Social run, clinic and marathon training program offered Olympian, author and marathon training guru Jeff Galloway will appear in Milwaukee April 22-23 as the guest of InStep Running & Walking Centers. On April 22, Galloway will lead a running clinic and the following day he will take part in a social run, be available to answer questions and sign copies of one of his many running books. The public is invited to come by the Milwaukee store on April 23 at 7:30 a.m. to run with Galloway. The Jeff Galloway Running Clinic is open to the first 20 individuals who sign up, and will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at InStep, 403 E. Buffalo St., Milwaukee. The program costs $149 and will cover such topics as running form, running faster, training to reach particular goals, nutrition, motivation, cross-training, fat burning and running injury-free. The event will be held in conjunction with a Jeff Galloway Marathon Training Program that InStep is also sponsoring. A 50 percent discount will be given to those who have signed up for the training program. All participants in the clinic will receive a copy of the second edition of Galloway's Book on Running, e-mail access to Jeff Galloway after the event, handouts, personal running assessments by Galloway, snacks and other goodies. The marathon training program will kick off April 15 at InStep's Mequon location and will go through October 1. Participants will train for the Milwaukee Lakefront or Chicago marathons, both of which will take place on October 7. The group will meet on Sunday mornings for weekly workouts. During the program participants will learn the components of Jeff Galloway's run-walk method. The marathon training program is $159 and includes a weekly training program, Jeff Galloway's marathon book, a training journal, a Cool max tank top, discounts at InStep Running & Walking Center, weekly organized group runs and weekly e-mails loaded with information on nutrition, shoe and apparel selection, core strengthening and injury prevention. For more information on the running clinic or the training program, call InStep's Milwaukee store at 414/220-4160. InStep has four southeastern Wisconsin locations, including InStep Running & Walking Centers in Milwaukee and Delafield and InStep Physical Therapy and Performance Footwear stores in Mequon and Franklin. First Fitchburg Press & Run, May 13 Borrowing the idea from bodybuilding competitions held elsewhere, Fitness Together Fitchburg will host its first annual Press & Run on Sunday, May 13, in Fitchburg near Madison, Wisconsin. Starting at 8 a.m., participants will lift an amount that corresponds with their age and body weight. For every rep, 20 seconds is subtracted from an individual's 5K time. Different weights are required to be lifted by men and women, and the amount decreases with age. The 5K race then starts at 9 a.m. "As a personal training studio that emphasizes both cardio and muscular fitness, we thought this would be a perfect event for us to put on," said Matt Polzin, a personal trainer at Fitness Together Fitchburg. If he had to predict who might win the event, Polzin said someone older than your average gym rat has the best chance. "The weight that you are required to do decreases the older you get, so there will be some 50-plus-year-old people who will be able to crank out a lot of repetitions," he said. Press & Run registration forms, which include the age/weight charts, are available at www.ftfitchburg.com. Registration can also be done online at www.active.com. Grandma's Marathon nearly full; half marathon closed Time is running out for runners looking to participate in the 31st annual Grandma's Marathon on June 16. As of March 21, there were only 200 spots remaining in the field limited to 9,500. The 26.2-mile event has reached its capacity for 12 consecutive years. Grandma's Marathon will begin at 7:30 a.m., June 16, near Two Harbors, Minnesota, and travel a course along the north shore of Lake Superior on scenic Highway 61, through downtown Duluth, finishing in Canal Park. Registration is officially closed for the 17th annual Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, also scheduled on June 16. 5K entries accepted Also held on Grandma's Marathon weekend in Duluth is one of the region's largest 5K races. Registration for the William A. Irvin 5K officially opened March 22. Entry forms are available by downloading a printable version at www.grandmasmarathon.com or can be obtained by calling 218/727-0947. The 3.1-mile run begins at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 15, near the permanently docked William A. Irvin ore boat on Duluth's waterfront. The race is limited to the first 1,200 applicants. During Grandma's Marathon weekend, more than 17,000 athletes are expected to compete in Grandma's Marathon, the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and the William A. Irvin 5K. For more information, visit www.grandmasmarathon.com or call 218/727-0947. Milwaukee gets all-in-one training center, bike store, café Transition, southeastern Wisconsin's first all-in-one personal training studio, performance center and bicycle store, is now open in Milwaukee. The 6,000-square-foot center, which held its grand opening in late March, is a single destination for personal and group endurance training, advanced fitness testing, movement and massage, coaching and full-service bicycle needs. Also on location is a Brewers Two Cafe. Founded by personal trainer Pete Mueller and bicycle retailer John Huenink, Transition is located along Pewaukee Lake at 203 W. Wisconsin St. Working with cyclists, triathletes, runners and general fitness enthusiasts, Transition offers functional movement screenings, VO2 threshold and metabolic testing and videotaped custom bike fitting sessions. Transition employees are licensed and certified professionals in a variety of disciplines. Huenink, a former competitive cyclist who opened his first bicycle store four years ago, said, "Customers can look to Transition as the place to meet for indoor and outdoor group rides; swim, fitness and nutrition clinics; or a quick repair." Besides its Pewaukee location, Transition offers services in downtown Milwaukee at Cathedral Square, 807 N. Jefferson Ave., and University Club Towers, 825 N. Prospect Ave., and in Elm Grove at the Western Racquet Club, 1800 Highland Drive. For more information about Transition, group training sessions and special events, go to www.transition.bz or call 262/264-0070. Returning to Wausau: The Junior National Slalom Kayak/Canoe trials The USA Whitewater Slalom Committee will return to Wausau, Wisconsin, to determine the U.S. Junior National Slalom Kayak / Canoe Team. Last year, with temperatures in the 20s and 30s, young whitewater paddlers competed at the Wausau Whitewater Park for a spot on the team that competes throughout the country and in Europe. Teal Fyksen, a Wausau open canoe and freestyle paddler and current president of the Wausau Kayak / Canoe Corporation, said, "We have an amazing resource right in downtown Wausau which is largely unknown to many of the young people in our area. Youth from throughout the country travel thousands of miles to enjoy our course. We have the opportunities for training, practice and competition to grow potential Olympians right here." After the season kicks off in May, other events will include the Wausau Whitewater Weekend on June 23-24, ACA Open Canoe Nationals and North American Championships on July 20-22, and the Midwest Freestyle Championship on August 18-19. For information on training camps and recreational releases as well as events, check out www.wausauwhitewater.org or call Julie Walraven at 715/574-5263.
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