Not forgotten On Saturday, runners and walkers can race with the White River Roadrunners to honor the memory of Batesville’s Sara Low. She was an American Airlines flight attendant who died when terrorists crashed Flight 11 into the World Trade Center’s north tower Sept. 11, 2001. But years before that terrible day, she was a track star at Batesville High School.
Before the second annual Sara Low Memorial 5 K at 8 a.m. Saturday, racers will pause to recall the example the young woman set. The memorial will include a musical tribute, and her father, Mike Low, will speak.
The challenging 3. 1-mile course is certified by USA Track & Field, so feel free to set your national record. The route begins near Batesville Junior High School and ends on the track at the high school stadium near the football field’s 50-yard line. In between lie some woefully serious hills. But the happy fi nish will be shown on the new big-screen TV in the stadium, where your favorite spectators can await your arrival in comfort.
Entry costs $ 15 ($ 20 on race day ). Proceeds support the Sara Low Scholarship Fund. The race is part of the Arkansas Grand Prix series, so more information is online at www. arkrrca. com.
Anyone who’d like to volunteer or make a donation can contact Mindy Lacefield at (501 ) 765-6717 or Ken McSpadden at (870 ) 793-2464.
The club’s Web site is www. wrroadrunners. org.
Bicycle race Tyson Racing’s annual Har-Ber Meadows Criterium includes events for road-bike racers of all skill levels between 8: 30 a.m. and 4: 30 p.m. Saturday. The day includes a free ride for children ages 3 to 12 with medals for every youngster, as well as inflatable play stations and sports merchants booths. Criterium racing involves loop-course routes that are free of auto traffic. This one’s 1. 1-mile, closed course has mostly smooth pavement along a man-made lake in the planned community Har-Ber Meadows in Springdale. The course runs clockwise with three 90-degree turns, one chicane (rough bit ) and a long, slightly downhill section that sweeps around the lake. The finishing stretch is a straight-away with a slight rise. Race-day registration opens at 7: 45 a.m. Entry costs $ 25 for the first race and $ 20 for each additional race. If you want to race for the first time, check out the Citizens race. Citizen riders pay $ 20 for their first race and $ 15 for each additional race. These fees include a $ 2 per day U. S. Cycling Federation insurance surcharge. Nonlicensed riders will be required to buy a $ 10 one-day license. Unattached riders (who don’t belong to a club team ) will be charged a $ 5 unattached rider fee, but Citizen, Category 5 men and Category 4 women will not be charged the unattached rider fee.
Registration, maps and directions are available through www. allsportsproductionsinc. com.
Pedal the Peak The first day of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s annual weekend bicycle tour in Arkansas begins with breakfast Saturday at Mather Lodge in Petit Jean State Park. Then dozens of bicycles will flow down the rather shockingly steep front of Petit Jean Mountain to the Arkansas River Valley. Bike MS: Pedal the Peak (formerly the MS 150 ) raises money for research and patient services. Donor-riders can pedal more than 75 miles on quiet country roads in the Arkansas River Valley, stopping often for snacks and lunch. Eventually they’ll arrive at a challenging climb back up to the lodge, a hill they can skip by catching a shuttle if they don’t mind a little ribbing from the good climbers. The next morning, they’ll eat breakfast, do another beautiful but challenging 75 miles or so, take the big hill or the shuttle, and then chow down on barbecue. Riders pedal at their own pace. There’s a banquet Saturday night. Registration costs $ 30, and then each rider donates at least $ 200. Teams of donors compete to outdo one another. More information is at www. msarkansas. org, Lisa. Brown@nmss. org and (501 ) 663-8104.
Safer cycling Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas and The Community Bicyclist store in Little Rock will sponsor League of American Bicyclists workshops on traffic safety this month and next. Licensed instructor Tom Ezell will teach the Road I adult bike safety and traffic skills class, dubbed “Smart Cycling,” for $ 50 Sept. 12 and 13. He’ll teach the class again Oct. 17 and 18. It covers state and local laws for bicycles and how to avoid danger, and it includes indoor lectures and a road ride. The bike shop will also host Ezell’s new Bicycle Commuting workshop Sept. 19 and again Oct. 24. This three-hour class is for adult cyclists. Topics include bicycle choices and set-up for commuting, dealing with cargo and clothing, route planning, parking the bike, riding in bad weather, night riding and how to encourage your boss to support bicycle commuting. An optional night ride will let students compare their own lights and reflective gear. The commuting class fee is a $ 20 (tax-deductible ) donation to the bike advocates; scholarships are available. Participants must preregister. Both classes will meet at the bike shop in Tanglewood Shopping Center, 7509 Cantrell Road. More information is on the chat board at www. arkan sasbicycleclub. org. Ezell can answer questions by e-mail at tomezell@aristotle. net or by phone at (501 ) 912-1047.
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