OPPORTUNITIES

Bike out, hike up, hike down, bike in ... sit down

The Bike & Hike for ALS Arkansas begins at 7 a.m. Sunday at Rockwater Village, 1600 Rockwater Blvd. in North Little Rock -- beside the Arkansas River.

The event is, technically, a duathlon, following the two-activity, three-leg format of bike-run-bike. The bike portion will be an out-and-back on the River Trail, from Rockwater Village to Pinnacle Mountain, covering about 18 miles each way.

The "hike" moniker is well deserved: The middle leg involves going up and over the peak of Pinnacle and then around the base, a combined distance of about 31/2 miles.

Participants will have three aid stations: at Two Rivers Park, in the transition area at Pinnacle Mountain and near the peak. A sag (support and gear) wagon will patrol parts of the course where vehicles are allowed.

Online registration is available until noon Saturday, costing $90 for ages 18 and up and $50 for under 18 with an accompanying adult who also registers. The website does not present an option to register people under 18; they will have to email support@bikehikeforals.com. Race-day registration will be on-site from 6 to 6:50 a.m. Sunday for $100.

Packet pickup and late registration will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday and 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday at the marina across the street from Rockwater Village.

Participants are asked to take their hiking gear (shoes and any other supplies) with them to packet pickup. They'll put that gear in race-provided nylon drop bags bearing their bib numbers. (Bags can also be dropped off at the starting line between 6 and 6:50 a.m. Sunday.) The bags will be waiting for them in the transition area at Pinnacle Mountain, and they'll be taken back to the starting line after the hike portion.

The transition area will be strictly controlled to protect bikes and gear. Participants will sign in and out so that organizers can track who has arrived and departed.

All participants will sign a waiver, and helmets must be worn while cycling. Volunteer course monitors and signs will help with directions and safety, but this will not be a closed course. Organizers say that participants are expected to be courteous of pedestrians on the River Trail and to obey traffic laws.

Proceeds will benefit Operation Speak Easier, an initiative by the ALS Association of Arkansas to help provide speech devices for people who have lost the ability to speak as the degenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis progresses. More information is at tobiidynavox.com. To learn more about the association, visit alsa.org.

There will be a celebration at the finish line (back at Rockwater Village) beginning about 10 a.m. with music, snacks and drinks. Registration fees include two adult beverage tickets (in the swag bag) redeemable at the Diamond Bear Brewery tent.

Bike & Hike for ALS honors Les Vahsholtz, who died from ALS in December 2012. He was event director Tim Vahsholtz's father.

The event website is bikehikeforals.com.

Run With the Flock 5K and One Mile

This second annual 5K fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society will begin at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at Fidelity Information Services, 4001 N. Rodney Parham Road in Little Rock. A one-mile run will follow at 8:30 a.m.

Online registration is available until 5 p.m. Friday; the 5K costs $35, the mile run is $15.

Packet pickup will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday at Rock City Running, 10300 N. Rodney Parham. Race-day packet pickup and registration will be open from 6:30 to 7:15 a.m. at the starting line. Race-day registration will cost an extra $5.

Both courses will begin and end at FIS, and there will be two aid stations. The 5K will be chip-timed, and awards will be given to the fastest male and female overall as well as three deep by sex and age group, along with a wheelchair category.

All participants in the 5K and the mile run will receive a finishers medal.

For registration, visit runsignup.com and search for "Run With the Flock."

EZ Bike and Poker Rider

The third annual Equestrian Zone Bike Poker Ride will take place at 7 a.m. Saturday at the Russellville Depot, 320 W. C St. in Russellville.

Riders will choose from a 10-mile, 24-mile or 48-mile ride. For those who would rather run than ride, there will also be a five-mile poker run.

A poker ride (or run) involves the participants stopping at five check points along a route and drawing a card at each one. Each participant carries a score sheet and receives a mark for his or her card at each station. At the end of the route, the best poker hand wins.

Online registration is open through Thursday. All three ride distances with one poker hand are $35 each; an additional poker hand can be bought for $20. The poker run costs $20 and an additional poker hand is $15.

At the end of the rides and run, there will be an option to replace a single card for $5, or get three replacement cards for $10.

The three best hands from each ride distance and the run will receive cash and merchandise prizes.

Packet pickup will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday at Russellville City Mall, 407 N. Arkansas Ave.

Race-day packet pickup and race registration will be available on-site beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday.

Registration is at equestrianzone.org.

Mount Nebo Trail Run

Ultrarunners have a low-key, 14-mile fun run at 7 a.m. Sunday at Mount Nebo State Park in Dardanelle.

Organizer Tom Aspel requests that runners register online for the Mount Nebo Trail Run. It's a free event, but donations wouldn't be tossed back in your face.

Runners will set out from the parking lot near the park pool, about a 3-mile flight west of Dardanelle for the proverbial crow, assuming it flies above Arkansas 155. But parking won't be in that lot. "Just to be clear," says the event page at runarkansas.com, "you cannot park where we always parked before. There will be someone directing you where to park."

Hamburgers and watermelon will be served in the pavilion by the pool; supply your own beverage.

Showers are available at the pool. Swimming costs $3.

Please send tips for active recreation to

cbyrd@arkansasonline.com

ActiveStyle on 08/21/2017

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