Do Something Different - Visit These Cycling Exhibitors at the Summer Expo

By Dave Kraus

As this long winter slowly marches toward spring, are you already thinking about the cycling season ahead? Of course you are, planning rides to come on sunny days along roads or trails lined with spring flowers still sleeping beneath the snow today.

But are those rides on the same old roads and trails? On the same old bike? With the same people? Why not do something different this this season? Stretch your envelope. Mix it up. Shake off the routine!

Here are some ways to do just that in your 2018 cycling plans. You will be able to get more information about all of these options from their representatives at the Adirondack Sports Summer Expo at the Saratoga Springs City Center on Saturday-Sunday, March 17-18. Admission is free! READ MORE...

Spring Building Blocks

By Laura Clark

How lucky that we runners get a second shot at our January New Year’s resolutions! Come March and the advent of spring running, we are afforded another opportunity to reinvent ourselves. Whether you spent the winter relaxing on the couch, hamstering on the treadmill or playing in the snow, the urgent roar of the March lion is impossible to resist. This month’s road races offer a mix of distances, perfect for those coaxing lazy muscles into shape or for winter sports enthusiasts eager to build on an established base. READ MORE...

Getting Ready for Paddling Season

By Alan Mapes

The paddling season will soon be upon us – hurray! Ice is still melting and the water temperatures are still dangerously cold, but the hints of spring are in the air. It’s enough to make me take a walk out to the back shed and look over the kayaks. Here are some ideas, thoughts, and tips for your future paddle trips. READ MORE...

Paul Marchese and Jennifer Lee Kirch

By Skip Holmes

The 2018 Olympics have recently ended and many of you watched your favorite sports on television or your computer screen. So did you see the figure skating, the various alpine events, the Saranac Laker who took silver in the luge, or the American women’s hockey team victory? Perhaps you watched the Nordic skiing like I did and saw the great effort and win from the American women in the team relay. Or did you watch the short and long track speed skating events, which are considered by some to be an obscure sport.

For two local residents speed skating is clearly not an obscure sport. Paul Marchese and Jennifer Lee Kirch are both speed skaters who have advanced as far as the Olympic speed skating trials in their respective athletic careers. They also make many of the skates that you see speed skaters wearing. On March 23-25 you can see short track speed skaters who will be using Marchese skates at the US Short Track Nationals at the Saratoga Springs Ice Rink. READ MORE...

Tri a Club

By Kristen Hislop

Brick, aero, clipless, bonk, DNF, lace locks, RPM, MOP, OWS, fartlek. Is this Greek to you? One reason people join one or more of the local triathlon clubs is to better understand the jargon and learn about training. Greg Hewlett of Adirondack Tri Club says it well, “Every club member was a ‘never, ever’ once before.” The passion for the sport exists in every club with members who are just itching to share their experiences, trials and tribulations, and of course, successes. READ MORE...

Slim and Bear Ponds - An Update

By Bill Ingersoll

Despite its central location within the Adirondack Park, the Blue Ridge Wilderness is often overlooked by hikers and backpackers. Even the team of park planners who proposed the first wilderness areas in 1962 overlooked it at first; it was not added to the list until ten years later. But this low-key nature is perhaps one of the Blue Ridge Wilderness Area’s best assets, for solitude is usually a very good possibility. READ MORE...