Nordic Walking Poles Welcome At The Port Oneida Barn To Barn Trail Run/Walk 5K

The Port Oneida barn to barn trail run/walk will be unique in that the National Park Service (Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore) hasn’t approved a running/walk event in nearly two decades. This special running and walking event is a fundraiser for Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear (PHSB).

The 5K (3.1 miles) course be a single loop trail course. The loop should prove to be one of the most scenic in the country. The course is pure cross country. Runners should not expect to break the 5K personal records due the challenges provided by the footing and hills. Runners and walkers will be treated to exceptional view of Sleeping Bear Bay while they traverse the top of the ridge along the Bay View Trail.

My daughter Cassidy Edwards, gold medallist at Junior Olympics in both cross country skiing and track, designed the trail course for serious runners, joggers and those who would enjoy a hike with beautiful vistas. She describes the run, which begins and ends at the Charles Olsen Farm, as a “unique tour of Sleeping Bear’s historic Port Oneida farmsteads.” The loop she has selected for the 5K will include several sections of the Bayview Trail and will take runners and walkers through the beautiful scenery of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore – a National Park just 30 miles west of Traverse City.

My wife Lissa Edwards was one of the founders of Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear and was instrumental in helping to save many of the now protected and newly renovated farmsteads from being torn down during the 1990’s.

Runners, joggers and walkers will find the 5K course to be a special tour of the Port Oneida Rural Historic district which is “one of the most prized historic landscapes in the country”! The course meanders through the pastoral landscape of farmsteads from the late 1800s nestled among the hills, and along the shores of Lake Michigan. The start and finish points are at the Park's historic Olsen farmstead which Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear restored in 2004.

Both Nordic Walking and Nordic Running (running with poles) will be allowed. Free use of Nordic Walking Poles will be provided by  WWW.SKIWALKING.COM and the American Nordic Walking System.

Event Website: http://www.phsb.org/programs/?id=189

For information call 231-334-6103 or email phsb@leelanau.com

To reserve Nordic Walking Poles for the event please call SKIWALKING.COM and the American Nordic Walking System: 231-334-3080 or email: getfit@skiwalking.com

Nordic Walking Association Welcoming Diversity

Nordic Walking Associations have typically been nothing more than marketing tools for individuals and/or manufactures to sell their products - books and/or walking poles.

Up until recently the INWA (International Nordic Walking Association) had been giving a cold shoulder to pretty much anyone not aligned with EXEL Nordic Walking Poles. The INWA for years failed to recognize the efforts of Tom Rutlin and his dedication to promoting fitness pole walking here in the USA. The INWA was also unresponsive to my requests to join their organization because of my commitment to SWIX Nordic Walking Poles, SWIX ski racing poles and SWIX ski wax.

The INWA however is now on the right path. They have invited Tom Rutlin to be one of the keynote speakers at the INWA Annual Convention on September 23-26 in Otepaa, Estonia & Riga, Latvia.

Walking with poles may look goofy, but the benefits are huge. Walking with poles burns up to 40% more calories than regular walking. When using the perfect length poles and the correct technique the stress to the weight bear joints (ankles, knees, hips and back) is radically reduced - helping many with joint and/or back pain to walking much more comfortably and effectively. The poles also help to improve balance and stability.

Nordic Walking Poles can provide a winning combination of improved posture, a unique 4-Wheel-Drive type action and shock absorbing benefits - helping many individuals to walk taller, faster and more comfortably again. Nordic Walking Poles are helping individuals with balance issues, knee issues or new knees, hip issues or new hips, back issues (including those with rods in their back), weight issues, multiple sclerosis (MS), parkinson's (PD), neuropathy, arthritis, bursitis, scoliosis, lumbar stenosis, fibromyalgia, post polio, osteoporosis, stroke recovery, cancer recovery and other limitations to walking. Nordic Walking poles are helping thousands of Americans get off the couch, successfully get outside, start walking safely and effectively launch much needed walking campaigns.

When hosting Nordic Walking Classes and training new Nordic Walking Instructors I always provide durable and user-friendly one-piece Nordic Walking Poles. I am also a ski coach and will never feel comfortable promoting cheap/flimsy 2-piece or 3-piece twist-lock or flip-lock collapsible poles that often tend to rattle, vibrate and/or collapse unexpectedly. One-piece poles prove to be safer, lighter and much more dependable than collapsible poles.

I also prefer Nordic Walking Poles equipped with REAL Nordic Walking Straps - comfortable fingerless glove type straps patented by the Salomon Ski Company. These comfortable straps eliminate the need to grip and squeeze the poles. These same straps were used by all of the cross country skiers during the Winter Olympics. They have helped to revolutionize cross country skiing and they make Nordic Walking much more effective too. These special straps enable individuals to use poles again after they could no longer use strapless or other strap systems due to their arthritis and/or carpal tunnel. SWIX and EXEL Nordic Walking Poles utilize Salomon Patented Straps.

I just shipped out a couple dozen more pairs of our one-piece SWIX and EXEL Nordic Walking Poles to several Wounded Warrior Programs. We specialize in custom fitting our durable one-piece poles to their exact heights. So far we have donated hundreds of pairs of quality one-piece poles and the feedback from the soldiers, pt's, doctors and the Red Cross has been super positive. We have donated free poles and provided free shipping to Wounded Warriors at Walter Reed, Fort Lewis/Madigan/McChord, Fort Carson, Vicenza in Italy and Kaiserslautern Military Community in Germany.

Individuals with balance, stability and/or gait issues benefit most from reliable one-piece poles - including seniors. Collapsible poles should never be recommended to individuals with balance issues.

The INWA originally only promoted one-piece poles too. In that aspect I agreed with them.

I won't be able to make the INWA Convention in Estonia and Latvia. I would enjoy being there as an advocate for one-piece Nordic Walking Poles.

INWA Website: http://inwa-nordicwalking.com/

INWA Convention Info: www.firmasport.ee/failid/INWA_convention_brochure_2010_LR_opt.pdf

SWIX Nordic Walking Poles: http://www.swixnordicwalking.us/

EXEL Nordic Walking Poles: http://www.exelnordicwalking.com/

American Nordic Walking System: http://www.skiwalking.com/