Let the Fourth of July races begin.

If, like me, you’re itching to get out the tent and do some camping, you might want to head to Champaign Surplus Thursday evening.

The store is hosting Backpacker magazine’s “Get Out More” tour, where you can see all kinds of cool outdoor gear and learn a little about outdoor skills.

There are a lot of opportunties for you to run or ride with Dad this weekend.

You can team up for a biathlon relay in Newman on Saturday.

The Newman Freedom Festival includes a 5K run and walk, and a biathlon with a 5K run and 12-mile bike ride. You can do the biathlon events as an individual, or team up with Dad or another athlete to do it as a relay.

How do you train to climb a mountain when you live in central Illinois?

“The best way to train is to go hike in the mountains, and that we just can’t do here,” said Lynn Wachtel of Champaign.

Nevertheless, she and Lori Melchi of Savoy are finding ways to prepare for their July climb up 19,340-foot Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

If you’ve been to Meadowbrook Park on a Tuesday evening recently, you’ve seen them, among the runners, inline skaters, and parents pushing strollers: The walkers with the poles.

Looking for a change of pace for a 5K race? Try an evening run.

The Rantoul Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Fourth of July celebration that includes an evening 5K run and walk. The Rocking the Runway Firecracker Bash is on Friday, July 2.

I wrote last week, in this story, about the ways in which running shoes, t-shirts and medals are recycled or reused.

One of the organizations I mentioned that collects new and used shoes for people in need around the world is Soles4Souls.

Do kids who are more physically active do better in school?

A study reported recently by the American College of Sports Medicine says so.

Saturday is National Trails Day. Celebrate by running a trail race.

If you saw Andy Roberts running last Saturday morning, you would have thought he was just another runner getting in his workout for the day.

But his run was one of redemption.

Roberts ran the Illinois Marathon — again — four weeks after running the official race.