McLean County groups run, walk and bike into the new year – The Pantagraph

“Well, you have to start the year off on the right foot,” said Julie Howell, owner of Fleet Feet of Bloomington. “No pun intended.”

In what has become a New Year’s tradition, the McLean County Wheelers and Fleet Feet of Bloomington have, once again, kicked off the calendar with community exercise.

The Wheelers started off on the north side of Tipton Park in Bloomington at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Club President Kellie Williams described the group as “cycling enthusiasts.”

“We’ve canceled it once, I believe, in the past 20 years,” said Williams. “And that was the ice storm.”

Twenty-three cycling enthusiasts showed up, most in brightly-colored jackets and exercise gear, to ride the 5-mile trek leading back to Williams’ house.

Williams said the distance is not meant to be intimidating.

“Some people are experienced cyclists,” she said. “Some people are brand-new cyclists. So we want a ride that can accommodate all kinds of cycling abilities.”

The club holds social rides throughout the year as well as meetings where members can vote on projects, she said.

Williams said there are yearly dues to join the Wheelers, but there are no equipment specifics.

“The only required piece of equipment is a helmet and a bike,” she said before quickly clarifying, “But it does not have to be a fancy bike.”

Besides being a social club, Williams said the Wheelers are a charitable organization.

She said this year they donated to three groups, giving $1,000 to the West Bloomington Revitalization Project Bike Co-op, $1,000 to Thunder Adaptive Cycling in Towanda and $1,400 to Ride Illinois.

Just before noon, on the south side of the park, the Fleet Feet Fun Run/Walk was getting set up. Over 120 people registered for it.

Vickie Kauffman, Meta Mickens-Baker and Teri Bittle showed up to run even though they had just finished the bike ride.

Mickens-Baker said the trio simply enjoys exercising together while, behind her, Bittle said she was making up for enjoying New Year’s Eve.

Mickens-Baker said, “I was not with them last night, whatever that story was!”

“We’re just a bunch of running fools,” Bittle said.

The fun run was broken into four groups based on how fast each person wanted to run, with the fastest leaving first and ending with the walkers.

Howell jokingly told her runners to “Smile through your hangover,” as she walked them up to the starting line and took their pictures.

Runners took off on Constitution Trail alongside GE Road before turning around to the starting line for refreshments and socializing.

“Some people might walk a mile,” Howell said, “some probably would run 10 to 20 if we were here that long. Most people do three (miles).”

While the fun run is a free event, Howell did give away a $25 gift card for her store to one runner.

While it is not a social club like the Wheelers, there are many events on Fleet Feet’s calendar throughout the year, including a Ladies Night Run later this month on Jan. 19.

To learn more about the Mclean County Wheelers, visit mcleancountywheelers.com.

Fleet Feet’s social calendar can be found at fleetfeet.com/s/bloomington/happenings.