Springfield's EcoSports Corridor

If you’ve seen our Chamber’s coverage of the Great Buckeye Challenge Half Triathlon and Duathlon at Buck Creek State Park (flickr.com/photos/greaterspringfield and youtube.com/greaterspringfield), you would have noted some of the license places on cars in the parking lot.
The event attracted approximately 700 competitors on Aug. 23 who swam, biked and ran. North Dakota, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania – at least nine states in all and two foreign countries – were represented. HFP Racing founder Shannon Kurek says our venue is second to none. Competitors say they love it.
Couple that with prospects for the eco-adventure venue on Buck Creek with kayaking and canoeing, bouldering in Veterans Park and more plans for rock climbing and mountain biking being proposed by Kevin and John Loftis, along with a downtown ice arena, and it’s clear we are developing a niche that will make Springfield the place to come and play. I saw some of the competitive cyclists in the event on Aug. 23 and thought by creating routes on country roads for cyclists this would provide another attraction.
Talking with some Chamber executives from Columbus and explaining what we have and what’s proposed, their comment was we could become the Boulder, Colo. of the Midwest with our many outdoor adventure venues. Springfield could be an adventure destination in the not too distant future. Have a great Chamber day!