They gathered in "waves" at the starting line. Twenty-five eager racers sitting on their bicycles waiting for the signal to start, and then they were off-- following a course through the parking lot of Fox Lane Middle and High Schools.
After four laps, they got off their bikes and headed for the track to walk as much as a mile before completing their race, their times tracked by microchips in each athlete's bib.
The process repeated until all of the 320 participants in the Elementary Bike Run 2012 had finished. The racers, grades K-5, were from the district's five elementary schools and raced by age group.
"These are two traditional kids activities. They don't need coaching or teams to participate" said event chair Christina Dochtermann, decked out in fox ears and a tail following the fox theme of the event now in it's second year.
"This is a unification event" Dochtermann said. "It brings together kids from all five schools along with their siblings and parents. It's truly a community event."
The campus was closed to all other activities for the day so families could enjoy the facilities together all day long after the event was over. All participants received medals.
One-hundred percent of fund-raising to support the event will be put back into each school's wellness and physical education programs.
