CHICAGO — Parades, barbecues, fireworks ... running?
The first three are obvious Fourth of July weekend activities. The Flatlander Ultrarunners of Chicagoland are hoping the fourth plays a big part as well. The group has created the "Flatlander 100 Mile Challenge" asking its members — and other runners, too — to run 100 miles starting midnight Friday until 11:59 p.m. Monday.
"These types of challenges are great for people because it pushes them to do more to work harder and go longer," said Racine Lambert-Cwerenz, a DePaul graduate who thought of the event. "It also gets us to come together and run in groups to help us get the mileage in.
"We are trying to run 100 miles in that amount of time, or to see how many miles we can get in before we hit the barbecues."
RELATED: Ultrarunners Complete 900-Mile Running Trip from Chicago to NYC
The Flatlander Ultrarunners are based in the Chicago area and include runners from all over the Midwest. Many of the runners do practice runs from Rogers Park to South Shore on the Lakefront Trail. Ultrarunners routinely compete in ultramarathons of 50 miles, 100 miles or longer.
"We have group runs in the city and the suburbs and we support each other at races and create friendships that last a lifetime," Lambert-Cwerenz said.
Lambert-Cwerenz, 55 and a veteran very-long-distance runner, said the mileage will based on the honors system, and runners can enter their mileage here.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
