PORTAGE | A series of road races will take off later this month to benefit the Portage Parks Foundation.
Tom Taylor, a 1997 graduate of Portage High School, recently returned to the region bringing his company Cause 2 Compete, which organizes racing events.
Taylor said he got the idea for his environmentally friendly race company after competing in the 2007 Chicago Marathon and seeing the trash left over from the race.
Cause 2 Compete events are sensitive to the environment, he said, using everything recycled from T-shirts to medals and planning race routes that will limit the impact to neighborhoods.
When Taylor returned from Portage after living out west, he said he wanted to plan an event to benefit a local organization. When he lived in Portage, he had worked for the parks department and his mother directs the department's preschool program.
Partnering with the parks foundation, he said, was an easy match.
The We run this Town race series will begin with the Most Eggcellent 5k on March 30. It will be followed by a Mother's Day 5k on May 12, the Sunset Tiki Torch 5 k on June 8 and the I Scream for 13.1 and 5k on Aug. 25. Each race will also include a children's fun 1k event. The Aug. 25 race will feature a half-marathon run.
Taylor said each race will be themed and held in different parts of the city including Countryside Park, Imagination Glen Park and the Portage Public Marina.
"We want to get families out and run or walk. We try to make it fun, make it a family-oriented event," said Taylor.
For more information or to register for a race, visit the cause2compete.com website for additional details and registration information.
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