Summer fun means a ride and a run

Springfield is quickly becoming a hot spot for cool races.

Whether you’re looking for a hardcore challenge or just something to keep you from languishing on the couch all summer, there’s likely a race in or near Springfield matching your intensity level. Pick a race from our chronological guide and start training for a fun summer.

The season starts with four different races on May 23. Early birds can catch the Capital City Biathlon – a 5k run and 15-mile ride – at 7:30 that morning at the Lake Springfield Beach House. The race began in the 1980s and was resurrected about nine years ago. For more information, visit www.capitalcitybiathlon.com.

Just a half-hour later the same morning begins the Eighth Annual Brian McMillen Memorial Run/Walk. It honors an Air Force veteran and Illinois State Police trooper who was killed in the line of duty in 2007. The race offers a 10k run, 5k run and 1 mile walk, all starting at 8 a.m. on May 23 at Lincoln Land Community College. Visit www.getmeregistered.com/BMcMVeterans5k for more information.

If you can’t get yourself out of bed that early, you can still catch the Run for Their Lives 5k, which benefits Springfield Right to Life. It starts at 10 a.m. on May 23 at the Washington Park Pavilion. For more information, visit www.srtl.org.

Maybe running isn’t your thing. If not, there’s always Abe’s River Race, a 13.5-mile boat race down the Sangamon River. It starts at 10 a.m. on May 23, but paddlers should show up before 9 a.m. to catch the shuttle up river. Get the details online at
www.lincolnheritagewatertrail.org/race.html.

If you’re in the Jacksonville area on May 30, check out the 23rd Annual Passavant-Gatorade 5k and 10k run. It begins at 7:30 a.m. and benefits New Directions Warming and Cooling Center, a nonprofit helping homeless people in Jacksonville. For more information, visit www.passavanthospital.com/2015-passavant-gatorade-5k-and-10k.

The first weekend in June brings the SOHO 10k run on June 6. The race is part of a popular Springfield music festival that benefits several charities. It starts at 8 a.m. and comes with tickets to the festival and other goodies. Get more info at www.springfieldsoho.org.

Also on June 6 is the 5k Superhero Run held by In His Hands Orphan Outreach, a Rochester-based nonprofit aimed at helping orphans overseas. The race, which starts at 8 a.m., offers runners a chance to dress up like their favorite superhero and beat “villains” to the finish line. To register, go online to
www.inhishandsorphans.org/events.html.

The Scheels 5k on June 20 features a flat course and a Kiddie Fun Run to tucker out your young ones. The event benefits Rotary and Habitat for Humanity of Sangamon County. Find more information online at www.scheelscommunity.com/events/scheels-5k.

If you’re looking for something a tougher, a pair of triathlons on June 20 is sure to provide a challenge. Tri-Harder Promotions holds the Stovepipe Sprint Triathlon and the Railsplitter Triathlon in historic Petersburg and Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site. The Stovepipe is a 500-yard swim in a private lake, followed by a 13-mile bike ride and 5k run. Still not tough enough? Opt for the Railsplitter, a swim of 0.9 miles, a 24.8-mile ride and 10k run. Get details on the races at www.triharderpromotions.com.

To recover from those triathlons, you can spend the next weekend at the Bob Goldman Scholastic Challenge 5k, which raises money for high school running programs. It also offers races for children, with the Tiny Tyke Trot 100-yard dash and the Kid’s Challenge Quarter Mile Run. Now in its 23rd year, the event starts at 7:30 a.m. on June 27 at the beach house on Lake Springfield. For more information, visit www.sc5k.com.

If you finish the Bob Goldman race quickly enough, you could still make it to the Run for Prevention 5k, which is held by chiropractic company AlignLife at 9 a.m. the same morning in Washington Park. The race benefits Health Missions, AlignLife’s sister organization aimed at increasing access to and research on natural healing options. For more information, visit www.bit.ly/runprevent15.

Fourth of July revelers looking for a break from the hot dogs and fireworks should try the Premier Bank 5k in Jacksonville on Independence Day. Now in its 16th year, the race benefits a different nonprofit each year, and this year, it’s the Jacksonville Public Schools Foundation. The race starts at 8 a.m. and also includes a walk and a fun run for kids. For more information, call Breck Van Bebber at 243-5702 or email [email protected].

In 1979, the Road Runners Club of America started a new race as a call for distance running races for women in the Olympics. Springfield’s version of that race is still alive 36 years later with the Women’s Distance Festival. It’s a two-mile, women-only race held in Washington Park, starting at 8 a.m. on July 11. The event also offers a Kids’ Fun Run. Get more information at www.womensdistance.srrc.net.

Young ones can get in on the triathlon action in Springfield, with the Kids N Control Tri at 9 a.m. on July 18. Held at Springfield’s Lincoln Park, the race includes a mini-tri for kids ages 5 and 6 and a longer version for kids 6 through 13. The mini-tri is a 50-meter swim, 0.6-mile ride and ¼-mile run, while the big-kid tri is 100 meters of swimming, 1.25 miles of riding and 1/2 mile of running. For more information, check out
www.spitriclub.com/kidstri.

Meanwhile at Washington Park, the Run United 5k will be held the same morning, July 18. It benefits the United Way of Central Illinois and is hosted by Bunn and Springfield Electric, with several other Springfield-based sponsors. The race also offers a separate run for kids. Get more details at www.bunn.com/rununited.

Don’t think you can do a 5k? The Sizzling Mile may be your race. As the name suggests, it’s a simple one-mile race, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. The current record at the Sizzling Mile is a blistering 4:20 pace – almost 14 miles per hour – set by Springfield native Eric Delvo. Even if you’re not that quick, however, you’ll be welcome in one of the slower heats. The race is held at the Sacred Heart-Griffin Track on July 22. Find more information at www.sizzlingmile.com.

If you missed the Stovepipe and Railsplitter triathlons, you can still catch Tri-Harder’s late summer races, the Stoneman, Iron Abe and Route 66 Half Iron triathlons on July 25. The Stoneman is a 500-yard swim, a 12-mile ride and 5k run, while the Iron Abe is a 0.9-mile swim, a 24.8-mile ride and a 6.2-mile run. Feeling frisky? Subject yourself to the Half Iron – a 1.2-mile swim, followed by a 56-mile ride and 13.1-mile run. Get the details on all three races at www.triharderpromotions.com.

When the Illinois State Fair rolls around, you know it’s time for the Scheels Illinois State Fair Parade Run and the Abe’s Amble 10k. The 2-mile Parade Run kicks off the fair this year on Aug. 13, while Abe’s Amble finishes the festivities on Aug. 23. More information on the Parade Run is available at www.bit.ly/paraderun15, while you can find details on Abe’s Amble at www.bit.ly/abesamble15.

See the table below for a chronological list of races.