Melissa Cook Spring Prediction Run/Walk/Ride | May 1-9, 2021
In honor of the woman behind the first 20 years of Hank Aaron State Trail
The Friends of Hank Aaron State Trail (FOHAST) invite you to participate in a prediction cycle, run, or walk along the Trail anytime from Saturday, May 1 to Sunday, May 9. This is a fun challenge in which you predict your time to complete a cycle or run course and can be done safely while social distancing!
For 20+ years, FOHAST has brought our community together by promoting activity on the Trail. In 2021, we won’t gather as a group for the Melissa Cook Spring Ride. Instead, we are encouraging everyone to be active while safely practicing social distancing in a Melissa Cook Spring Prediction Cycle, Run, or Walk along the Trail.
Do you know your pace when you cycle, run, walk or jog? Here is a great way to explore the Hank Aaron State Trail and find out for sure!
Here’s how it’s done
STEP ONE: Register. It’s free!
If you’re cycling: Predict your time to complete the 12-mile roundtrip Melissa Cook Spring Ride course. There is no time limit. Any time on the Trail is a good time on the Trail.
If you’re running or walking: Predict your time to complete a 5k course on the Melissa Cook Spring Run/Walk course. There is no time limit. Any time on the Trail is a good time on the Trail.
The activity takes place all on your own….Scout’s Honor. The starting point for our suggested routes is the same regardless of whether you ride, run, or walk. It is in front of the People of the Road monument in the Menomonee Valley Community Park as pictured here. At the start of your ride or run/walk, hit the ‘Start’ button on your device, complete the course, (no peeking at your device!), hit the ‘Stop’ button, and record your time.
Ride, run, or walk the route anytime from Saturday, May 1 to Sunday, May 9.
STEP TWO:
When you’re done:
Submit your results to your RunSignUp results page and a selfie or two to document your travels using the hashtag #HANKPrediction
Share your photo(s) publicly on Facebook or Instagram. Here are a couple sample posts:
Turns out I’m faster than I thought! Just completed the Melissa Cook Spring Prediction Run on the (Facebook - @hankaarontrail, Instagram - @hankaaronstatetrail). I predicted I would complete the 5K in XX minutes, but it only took me XX. #HANKPrediction
I just completed the Melissa Cook Spring Prediction Ride on the (Facebook - @hankaarontrail, Instagram - @hankaaronstatetrail). I predicted I’d complete the X mile route in X minutes. I got sidetracked and it really took me X minutes - sometimes you have to stop and smell the spring wildlife! #HANKPrediction
The Melissa Cook Spring Prediction Ride, Run/Walk is open to all ages. Parents, please monitor your children on the course.
STEP THREE: PRIZES!
Prizes will be awarded to the top three individuals closest to their predicted time in the Cycle Event and top three individuals closest to their predicted time in the Run/Walk Event. Winners and their photos/times will all be posted in our newsletter, here on this website, and on our Facebook and Instagram pages on May 11.
QUESTIONS: E-mail FOHAST@gmail.com with any questions.
Who is Melissa Cook?
Melissa Cook was the first manager of the Hank Aaron State Trail. The annual event began in 2019 as a way to honor Melissa’s contribution to the development of the Trail over its first 20 years in existence.
Melissa started with the DNR in 1994 and served as the first Hank Aaron State Trail Manager until 2019, retiring from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources after 25 years. She took the idea for a rail-trail cutting across Milwaukee County from the Lakefront to the Waukesha County Line from an odd concept (at the time) to a fully built-out urban multi-use Trail that connects neighborhoods, destinations, communities, and people. What began as a few disconnected segments in various places in the Menomonee River Valley is now a major public amenity enjoyed by thousands of people every year. And as much as we appreciate Melissa’s contribution to this fantastic physical asset, her impact goes well beyond the asphalt and landscaping of the Trail. Melissa touched many lives through her work with the DNR, from the volunteers she worked with to bring the land back to life, to the children who learned to ride on the Trail to those who enjoy its many public art and historical features. Remember that THE TRAIL WILL TAKE YOU THERE and it wouldn’t be what it is without Melissa Cook’s persistence, diligence, and thoughtfulness.