Bay Trail Fun Run celebrates National Trails Day

SANDPOINT — Celebrate National Trails Day with a run along the shores of Lake Pend Oreille and Sand Creek in Sandpoint and help protect a treasured waterfront trail.

The Bay Trail Fun Run — 5K or 10 K — kicks off promptly at 9 a.m., on Saturday, June 1, in front of the Edgewater Resort at City Beach. The run is hosted by the Friends of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail, Idaho Conservation League and Trinity at City Beach Restaurant.

 Proceeds from this community event will benefit the Friends of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail and their efforts to purchase waterfront land to create a permanent, non-motorized shoreline trail. This trail corridor will eventually connect the cities of Sandpoint, Ponderay and Kootenai and provide residents and visitors with safe access to the lake and wonderful recreational opportunities.

Support the Friends’ efforts and experience the beauty of the Pend d’Oreille Trail, as well as the new Byway Trail, at the inaugural Bay Trail Fun Run. The event is open to both runners and walkers who have their choice of either a 5K or 10K course. Both distances provide participants with stunning views of the lake, creek or mountains and follow along a flat trail.

The Bay Trail Fun Run is both a competitive run and a family fun run. Strollers are permitted. Although dogs are usually welcome along the trail, for safety purposes, no dogs will be allowed at the race.

A fantastic assortment of prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in each age group, including Chico backpacks, gift certificates, sports gear and more. All participants will receive a race T-shirt and other giveaways. The awards ceremony takes place at approximately 11:30 a.m. and a specially priced racer’s lunch is available immediately after the race at Trinity at City Beach Restaurant.

Registration for the Bay Trail Fun Run is currently open at the reduced registration price of $25 until May 28. After that, the price increases to $30. Kids 12 and under are free but must register in order to receive a race T-shirt. Registration will be available on the day of the race but to ensure your correct T-shirt size, participants are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible.

The Bay Trail Fun Run is the Friends’ largest community fundraiser to date. The group is hoping to raise $400,000 by October 2014 to purchase a key section of land along the trail corridor. To date, the Friends have raised more than $295,000 in donations and pledges for the acquisition fund.

Once this land is purchased, the City of Ponderay will have ownership. The City of Sandpoint has recently purchased two waterfront parcels that give visitors and residents current access to the trail. The City of Ponderay has a lease and an option to buy a section of trail this year.

To donate to the Friends acquisition fund or for more information about the Bay Trail Fun Run or to register for the run, go www.pobtrail.org, call (208) 946-7586 or email friends@pobtrail.org.