RUN for the BRIDGES

Thanks to everyone who volunteered and ran through Wilderness Park on Saturday, March 10. More than $10,000 was raised! Thanks to sponsors Scott Swanson Foot and Ankle Orthopaedic Surgeons, Complete Family Dermatology, Lincoln Orthopaedic,Lincoln Running Company, Cycle Works, Open Harvest, Leons, Zipline, Ivanna Cone, Folkmanis Puppets, gift cards from Rosina and Karl, Lotus House of Yoga, Meadowlark Coffee, and O'Neill, Heinrich, Damkroger, Bergmeyer, Shultz Law Firm. And thank you to all of the runners who keep coming back!Run for the Bridges was created to match grant funds to replace and repair the bridges in Wilderness Park. The bridge that connects the Pioneers Boulevard section to the Old Cheney section was put in place March 2016. The Saltillo bridge is next on the list and is scheduled to be built in 2019 provided the Recreational Trail Grant application is approved in December 2018. Run for the Bridges matched $32,500, and Great Plains Trails Network matched $17,500. GPTN and Lincoln Parks and Recreation are great partners in this endeavor to reconnect the park.Next on the list is the wooden bridge that parallels Highway 77 and connects the trails west of Salt Creek. The city closed the bridge a year ago due decay. This bridge is expected to cost $50,000. All proceeds from the 2018 run will go toward repairing what we call the “telephone bridge” because the stringers are constructed of old telephone poles.Run for the Bridges is a volunteer, grassroots endeavor hosting a half marathon, 10K, and a 1.8-mile kids’ run through Wilderness Park.Your sponsorship will defray the cost of event insurance, cost of T-shirts, printing costs for flyers and signage (some of these costs come out of the race director’s pocket so the maximum amount can go toward bridges). The proceeds are in a Lincoln Parks Foundation account designated for Wilderness Park bridges.