BIG OLE supathon
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nique among Midwestern stand-up paddleboarding events, the Big Ole SUPathon is a two-day event designed to help promote recreational paddling on the Alexandria’s Chain of Lakes and the Long Prairie River. The Big Ole SUPathon is being held July 16-17 and includes lake courses of 4.5, 12 or 26 miles and river courses of 8 and 10 miles for paddle boarders, canoeists and kayakers of all skill levels. The event kicks off at 7 a.m. on Friday, July 16 at the East Lake Miltona public access with the signature 26-mile Big Ole SUPathon event, with the other races following. There will be support staff with snacks and water along the courses as well as guide boats on the larger lakes. There will be a celebratory post race ceremony recognizing the marathon finishers, top fundraisers and volunteers at Arrowwood Marina.
On Saturday is the family-friendly Long Prairie river cruise with the 10-mile option beginning at 9 a.m. at the Lake Carlos Marina. The 8-mile event will begin one hour later. Check out the Big Ole SUPathon on Facebook or visit the site at https://paddleguru. com/races/BigOleSUPathon2019. FRIDAY, JULY 16 7 a.m. – 26-mile Big Ole SUPathon 10 a.m. – 12-mile Sven race Noon – 4.5-mile Lena race 4-6 p.m. - Post-paddle awards party at Arrowwood Marina. SATURDAY, JULY 17 9 a.m. – 10-mile Long Prairie river cruise 10 a.m. – 8-mile Long Prairie river cruise FOR MORE INFO Visit https://paddleguru.com/races/BigOleSUPathon for full event registration and info.
MOUNTAIN BIKE trails at Brophy
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rea bikers have even more options with the addition of mountain biking trails at Lake Brophy County Park, with the Runestone Off Road Cyclists Club playing an integral role by helping secure federal matching grants. The results are a wonder to behold. “We’re really happy with the way they turned out,” biker and club member Jeff Brand said. “It’s difficult. It’s unique.” It also prompted a veteran mountain biker to call the trails “amazing.” Brand explained that most trails in Minnesota are cross-country oriented, weaving through wooded areas. These, Brand said, feature “rocks, rollers and burns … and a fair amount of elevation in a relatively short space.” Todd Emmons, another dedicated bicyclist, has spent a lot of time on the mountain bike trails at Lake Brophy County Park, and has been quite impressed. The trails are on a rolling hills setting, and have jumps and banked corners. 18 June/July 2021 • Vacationer
“You can actually get parallel to the ground on some of them,” he said, while bikers can soar several feet into the air on the jumps. The biking term “mandatory air” most definitely applies. DRAWING CARD Another Douglas County Park, Kensington Rune Stone Park, has fairly-new dedicated mountain bike trails that include a 3.5-mile loop and several shorter ones. When you add those to others, including ones being built in Glenwood, the area will be able to claim 35-40 miles of trails, Brand said. The Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Trails in Ironton are often mentioned as a big regional draw for bikers, and trails in Duluth and the Twin Cities also bring bikers from outside the area. The Brophy trails could fit the same bill, with Brand calling this a tremendous opportunity to bring bikers from all over into the Douglas County area. Emmons agreed. “We’re going to draw some of those people here,” he said.
