Loyal readers of A News Café know that May is mental health month. For me and many of the people I know, nothing works better for maintaining mental health than daily exercise. And, as I always say, signing your name to an event entry form is the best motivation for exercise. Even people who are not overly competitive still want to perform their best on race day.
Here’s a look at the regional running, cycling, walking, duathlon and triathlon calendar through Independence Day. If you’re organizing an event that I missed, please let me know.
• May 14: Anderson River Park Century, Anderson. This doozey of a 100-mile bike ride starts and ends at Anderson River Park. In between, it climbs well into the foothills east of Redding. There are also 60-, 40-, and 25-mile options, each with progressively fewer hills. Details: www.centurybikeride.com.
• May 14: Watershed Celebration 10K and 5K run/walk, Red Bluff Diversion Dam, Red Bluff. This benefit for the Sacramento River Discovery Center uses flat dirt and asphalt roads along the river. Details: www.sweatrc.com.
• May 14: Run for the Birds 10K trail run, 5K trail and 1-mile run/walk, Veterans Park, Klamath Falls, Oregon. Saturday is international migratory bird day, and what better place to mark the day than K Falls, where feathered critters outnumber human beings by a large ratio. Details: linkvillelopers.
• May 15: Masters 4-Miler, Bidwell Park, Chico. You must be at least 40 years old to participate in this one. Following paved roads and wide dirt trails in lower Bidwell Park, the course is blazing fast, even for we more experienced runners. Details: www.fleetfeetchico.com.
• May 19 and 26, June 2 and 10: Blazing Saddles Mountain Bike Race Series, Swasey Recreation Area, Redding. This collection of weekday evening knobby tire races returns to the BLM’s popular trail system just west of Redding. Each week offers riders a choice of a hilly and fairly technical 10-miler and a tamer 5-miler. It’s a family-oriented gathering, so there are free kids races for riders up to 9 years old each week. Details: www.teamsoar.net.
• May 21: Whiskeytown Off-Road Duathlon, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. This five-year-old event combines trail running and mountain biking. Check out my story from last month for details.
• May 21: 12 Hours of Weaverville mountain bike race, Trinity High School, Weaverville. Solo and teams of up to 4 riders get around the hilly 11.7-mile loop as many times as they can between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. There’s also a six-hour event only for solo riders. Crazy, dirty stuff. Details: www.teambigfoot.net.
• May 28: Run for Relief 5K run/walk, Lema Ranch, Redding. This first-year event is a fundraiser for poor villagers in Burma. Recognizing that Burmese people often lack decent shoes, the event has a “flip-flop” division for brave souls willing to try the distance in flip-flops or bare feet. Details: www.runforrelief.org.
• May 29: Burton Pickle Memorial 5K and 1K runs, Hawkins Bar. I always get positive reports about this family-friendly event, now in its sixth year in western Trinity County. The short run is for kids only, but plenty of young runners also tackle the longer race. Details: www.theburtonpickle5k.com.
• June 1: Dam Fast 5K, Lake Oroville. The first in a four-race 5K series (other races are July 13, August 3 and September 7) on a course overlooking the lake. Details: www.underthesunevents.org.
• June 4: Shane’s Way 2.75- and 1.25-mile run/walk, Anderson River Park, Anderson. This second-year event has relocated from Redding to Anderson. I’d say a PR is just about guaranteed, because when was the last time you raced 2.75 miles? Details: www.shanesway.org.
• June 11: Hayfork Century bike ride, Hayfork. Hardcore road cyclists who didn’t get into the Death Ride should consider the Hayfork Century as a more-than-adequate and much less expensive replacement. The “century” is actually 115 miles long and climbs about 11,000 feet. The metric century is also long, at 70 miles. The 45-mile “wild peanut loop” looks tough enough to me. Details: www.hayforkcentury.com.
• June 11: River Run 5- and 2-mile run/walk, Dunsmuir. Part of the Dunsmuir Railroad Days festival, the running and walking event uses roads through town and along a spectacular stretch of the Sacramento River. Details: www.sweatrc.com.
• June 11 and 12: Granite Man, Applegate Lake, Oregon. The first day offers an off-road triathlon, off-road duathlon and a kids triathlon. Day two has a 10-mile trail run and 2-mile fun run. All of this action is in the rugged country around Applegate Lake in Klamath National Forest, just north of the California border. Details: http://granite-man.com.
• June 18: Chris Lopez Classic 10K run, and 5K and 1-mile run/walk, Upper Greenhorn Park, Yreka. This first-year event honors the memory of the Yreka High School runner who suffered a heart attack during a 2009 cross-country race at West Valley High School and died a few days later. The 10K promises to be a challenging trail race. Details: http://sorunners.org.
• June 25: Mountain Lakes Challenge bike ride, Ashland, Oregon. Here’s another great option for snubbed Death Riders – a 135-mile ride on the rural roads and highways of Southern Oregon with more than 10,000 feet of climbing. There are also 100- and 58-mile courses, both of which include abundant climbing. Details: www.mountainlakeschallenge.com.
• June 25: Mudskipper, Meadowbrook Ranch, Magalia. This event is designed for two-person teams. Each teammate alternates running and mountain biking on a 1.25-mile long running course and 2-mile-long bike route. For the “basic course,” you’ll do each loop twice. For the “advance” race, you’ll do each loop four times. Did I mention the obstacles and mud? Details: www.active.com.
• July 4: Mount Shasta 5-mile run, 2-mile run/walk and kids 2-mile run, Mount Shasta. One of the biggest running events of the year in our region helps open the traditional Fourth of July celebration in downtown Mount Shasta. Details: www.mtshastarunners.com.
• July 4: Independence Day 5K run/walk, Bidwell Park, Chico. Start the holiday bright and early (7:15 a.m.!) with a trek through lower Bidwell Park. Details: www.chicorunningclub.org.
Paul Shigley is senior editor of California Planning & Development Report, a frequent contributor to Planning magazine and has been eligible for the Masters 4-Miler for a while. He lives in Centerville. Paul Shigley may be reached at pauls.anewscafe@gmail.com.
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