Cycle to Celebrate the Growing Greenway System
On June 8, local cyclists will gather to celebrate the greenway in the Cross-Triangle Greenway Ride. All levels are welcome to join in on the ride to Raleigh, a 25-mile jaunt starting in Cary or the full 40-mile ride beginning in downtown Durham. This ride is particularly special because it uses the new White Oak Creek extension in Cary. “The opening of this trail earlier this year closed a key two-mile gap in the greenway system between downtown Durham and downtown Raleigh,” says John Martin, communications manager of the East Coast Greenway Alliance. “This ride will be the first major event held on this stretch of greenway.”
This 70-mile stretch is the longest protected stretch of the entire 3,000-mile East Coast Greenway route in a metropolitan area, according to Martin. The Triangle greenway system and its preservation have become a model that other urban areas strive to replicate. “Along the trail you’ll pass city parks, the grounds of the state’s art museum, two universities and scenic boardwalks through woods and marshes,” Martin says. “You can leave downtown Durham at the trailhead of the American Tobacco Trail and enjoy traffic-free greenways all the way to downtown Raleigh.” The celebratory ride will include rest stops and conclude at Transfer Co. Food Hall. Not a biker? You can volunteer or just attend the after-party to join in on the fun. —Catherine Currin
40-mile ride starts at 9 a.m. at SouthPoint Crossing Trailhead; 25-mile ride starts at 11 a.m. at Bond Park. To register and find more information, visit greenway.org/crosstriangleride.
World Record Flip Flop Race
Toss on your flip flops and start jogging June 8—you may just be part of a world record! The nOg run club is hosting the 5th annual Flip Flop 1K, and club president Elizabeth Pagano says they are hoping to beat their own world record. “We need 1,347 people to beat our record from last year. The official world record is ‘the largest thong sandals race’—essentially the most people walking in flip flops,” says Pagano. The idea was born when the Irish-inspired run club couldn’t break a different record. “We tried to break the Guinness World Record for the largest kilt run for five years and couldn’t do it,” says Pagano. “We were determined to break a record and started looking for one we could really do. That’s how we came across the Flip Flop 1K.”
Speed is not really the purpose: the ‘race,’ which Pagano says is more like a parade, is all about fundraising for the community. “Everything that we do is a fundraiser,” says Pagano. “We donate to a different charity every month.” Past fund-raising recipients include Oak City Soccer, Read and Feed and Neighbor to Neighbor. This year’s Flip Flop 1K will benefit Wake County Holiday Cheer, a program that sponsors children during the holidays. The race begins at Bond Brothers Brewing in downtown Cary and is a loop around Chatham Street—sign up and you’ll get a t-shirt and commemorative medal. Can’t make the race? The nOg run club meets every Monday at the Raleigh Beer Garden on Glenwood Avenue—but for those runs, sneakers are required! —Catherine Currin
$20; June 8; To register, visit nogrunclub.com.
