What's New? Plenty

The race landscape around the Chicago area just keeps on changing. Three events that really are grabbing my attention are a new Park Forest Running and Pancake Club 10-miler on Saturday, Sept. 4; the inaugural Naperville Trails Half Marathon on the chopped limestone trails of Danada and Herrick Lake Forest Preserves on Sunday, Sept. 12; and the Prairie State Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K, all based from Independence Grove Forest Preserve near Libertyville, on Saturday, Oct. 9. With all of the other events and training programs alrteady in place, it's amazing to me to see this happening. The Park Forest run will be on bike trails in Mokena, not Park Forest, and does not replace the current 5-miler in Park Forest on Sept. 6. The new 10-miler will not be competitive, but possibly a trial run for a new serious 10-miler in the future (we all remember and miss the PF Scenic 10 that was discontinued by the village . . . not the club), organizer Joe Baska told me. The Naperville race goes head-to-head against the Chicago Half and is two weeks after the Peapod Half Madness (Sept. 5) and Oak Brook (Sept. 6) Halfs on Labor Day weekend. The new marathon in Libertyville will get some people left out of Chicago and some limestone trail lovers who like to go long. It's all very interesting. Stay tuned.