So there’s this parking lot on Loudon Road.
It’s the one behind ConvenientMD and Buffalo Wild Wings. Now there’s nothing truly special about the parking lot except that you can park you car there and get some much needed medical care or an equally important dose of wingy goodness. But it’s what’s behind said parking lot that is really important. That’s where the proposed Merrimack River Greenway Trail will live.
Unfortunately, the project is still a ways off from being completed, but there’s no reason you can’t enjoy the natural beauty – of the river and its surrounding area, not the parking lot.
“We want to see people take advantage of the river as a natural resource,” said Greenway Trail trustee Stacey Brown. “Once they’re out there, see it and enjoy it, they’ll come back.”
So if you’re feeling a little adventurous and just happen to be looking for an athletic challenge, then make your way over to that area of the city for the New England Run Paddle Biathlon Championship to benefit the Jen Kemp Memorial Scholarship at NHTI on May 31, created by paddling and exercise guru Tom Walton. It’s kind of a precursor to the 4th annual Merrimack River Trail Triathlon slated for July 19.
“We wouldn’t have the biathlon or the triathlon without Tom Walton,” Brown said.
Now when we say athletic challenge, we mean more of being active because the distance mapped out for the biathlon is really quite manageable for just about anyone. It will be a 3k run, followed by a 3k paddle – and if you’re looking for a miles conversion, it’s about 1.86 miles for each discipline – and you can even do it with a partner as a relay team.
“They are such doable distances,” Brown said. “But (Walton) developed the course that they’re challenging enough that people feel accomplished.”
The event kick off at 11 a.m., but registration begins at 9:30 a.m. for those who decide to enter last minute.
As far as the run part goes, you will head out down the edge of the cornfield and hang a right once you reach the power station to the actual trail. It might be hard to believe you’re a good stone’s throw away from downtown, but it’s the truth. You’ll run through the trees along the single track trail with the Merrimack rushing by. Once you do two loops, it’s off to the water.
For this event, you need to bring your own watercraft.
“Anything goes,” Brown said. “Tom has said you can bring a cardboard box and paddle that.”
The paddle also features two loops that bring you under Memorial Bridge and back. It’s the exact same course you’ll find at July’s triathlon. And they have a great way to finish off the race.
“They have to pull their watercraft over the finish line,” Brown said.
Pre-registration cost for inpidual adults is $20 and $15 for relay adults. It’s just $5 for those under 18 no matter if you do the entire course by yourself or as part of a team. The price goes up $5 for adults who sign up the day of.
“We’re really trying to appeal to families,” Brown said.
To register for the biathlon, visit trireg.com. And those who sign up for both the biathlon and triathlon receive a discounted price.
