The hills and humidity did their best Sunday morning to put a damper on the 40th Abe’s Amble 10K at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. But former Southern Indiana University teammates Tyler Pence and Julia Kohnen were able to scale those hills and rip through the heavy air better than everybody else.
The 24-year-old Pence won his second straight Abe’s title in a tick over 32 minutes.
Pence, a two-time NCAA Division II track champion and seven-time All-American while at Southern Indiana, beat runner-up and 10-time champion Bryan Glass by 2:37, almost a half-mile.
Pence, assistant cross country coach at the University of Illinois Springfield, is training for two half-marathons in St. Louis in October and then the Las Vegas Rock and Roll Marathon in November. He’s got his sights set on qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials.
A sub-1:04 in the half-marathon will do the trick as will a time of 2:19 in the marathon.
“Today I came out to do the 10K at half-marathon pace,” said Pence, who is sponsored by First to the Finish and Rino Works gym. “So the pace I ran today is what my goal pace will be.
“Actually I hoped to run faster than this. It’s good to kind of get used to running that pace.”
This article appeared online for The State Journal-Register on August 20, 2017.
Read the entire story online.
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Springfield exploring bicycle-sharing program
More residents and visitors to central Illinois cities, including Peoria and Bloomington-Normal, can now rent bicycles as part of bike-share programs.
A coalition of groups in Springfield is looking to make the capital city the next to implement a program where racks with five to 10 bicycles are set up around the city for people to rent on an hourly basis for a fee. They can then return the bike to any other rack.
Those involved in the effort say it’s a push to make the city more bike-friendly and provide another recreational opportunity for both tourists and residents.
“We think it would be a great addition to the tourist infrastructure but also give locals more reasons to come downtown and enjoy the area,” said Downtown Springfield Inc. executive director Lisa Clemmons Stott.
The coalition is meeting with companies that run bike-share programs and researching what has worked well in other cities. One estimate to start a program the group received is around $90,000.
“What we’re looking at is more turn key,” said Nancy Barrett, an assessment and accreditation coordinator UIS and a member of the bike advisory council. “They come in and give you the bikes, they have the stations, (and) they provide the maintenance, all of that kind of infrastructure.”
Barrett said the University of Illinois Springfield has a popular bike-share program with 20 bikes that students can use for free. She’s looking for ways to expand that transportation option, particularly for international students.
“They’re depending on public transport, walking or biking,” Barrett said. ”We could use more bikes at UIS.”
Once the group has selected a vendor, which could happen as soon as this fall, they’ll begin recruiting local businesses and organizations to chip in, said Clemmons Stott.
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on August 16, 2017.
Read the entire article online.
A coalition of groups in Springfield is looking to make the capital city the next to implement a program where racks with five to 10 bicycles are set up around the city for people to rent on an hourly basis for a fee. They can then return the bike to any other rack.
Those involved in the effort say it’s a push to make the city more bike-friendly and provide another recreational opportunity for both tourists and residents.
“We think it would be a great addition to the tourist infrastructure but also give locals more reasons to come downtown and enjoy the area,” said Downtown Springfield Inc. executive director Lisa Clemmons Stott.
The coalition is meeting with companies that run bike-share programs and researching what has worked well in other cities. One estimate to start a program the group received is around $90,000.
“What we’re looking at is more turn key,” said Nancy Barrett, an assessment and accreditation coordinator UIS and a member of the bike advisory council. “They come in and give you the bikes, they have the stations, (and) they provide the maintenance, all of that kind of infrastructure.”
Barrett said the University of Illinois Springfield has a popular bike-share program with 20 bikes that students can use for free. She’s looking for ways to expand that transportation option, particularly for international students.
“They’re depending on public transport, walking or biking,” Barrett said. ”We could use more bikes at UIS.”
Once the group has selected a vendor, which could happen as soon as this fall, they’ll begin recruiting local businesses and organizations to chip in, said Clemmons Stott.
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on August 16, 2017.
Read the entire article online.
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Preparing for Monday’s solar eclipse
Joey McLaughlin talks with University of Illinois Springfield Associate Professor of Astronomy-Physics John Martin about the eclipse on Monday.
This interview aired live on 1240 WTAX Radio on August 16, 2017.
Listen to the interview online.
This interview aired live on 1240 WTAX Radio on August 16, 2017.
Listen to the interview online.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)