Third edition of Fall Line Trailblazer event set for June 10
Trailblazer event will feature guided hikes along Fall Line trail led by Bike Walk RVA
RICHMOND, VA – The third-annual ‘Fall Line Trailblazer’ event is set for this Saturday, June 10 to highlight the progress made on the Fall Line trail and raise awareness and funds for its eventual completion. Organized by Sports Backers and its Bike Walk RVA program, the Fall Line Trailblazer will feature a series of guided hikes along sections of the Fall Line, and registration is available at www.sportsbackers.org.
In conjunction with the announcement of the Fall Line name in October 2020, Sports Backers announced the first ‘Fall Line Trailblazer’ event and fundraising initiative to support the continued progress of trail construction. 15 miles of the paved walking, running, and biking trail will be under development in the next 12-18 months as excitement continues to build for the Fall Line and the new active transportation connections it will foster in Central Virginia.
The hikes will be led by the Bike Walk RVA team during the Trailblazer event, and each hike will be an out-and-back loop and cover roughly 2-3 miles. Bike Walk RVA is a program of Sports Backers that advocates for safe and connected bike and pedestrian infrastructure, and they are taking a leading advocacy role in the completion of the Fall Line trail.
“The Fall Line will be a transformational trail to the Richmond and Tri-Cities regions in Central Virginia,” said Brantley Tyndall, Director of Bike Walk RVA. “Community leadership and support for the Fall Line have sparked unprecedented success for the trail’s progress with regional leaders and administrators, and everyone is buzzing about this new high-quality connector to active living, transportation, and placemaking.”
In total, the Fall Line will connect Ashland, Hanover, Henrico, Richmond, Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, and Petersburg.
Fall Line trail-themed items will be available to participants at specific donation levels, and include the following:
$25 Donation: Sticker and field notebook
$43 Donation: Limited edition Fall Line shirt, sticker and field notebook
$100 Donation: Custom enameled coffee mug, limited edition Fall Line shirt, sticker and field notebook
Participants can choose to donate through June 30 and join their preferred hike on June 10. Trailblazer items will be sent to participants after the event ends. Registrants can indicate which hikes they want to take part in during registration. The current hike schedule is below, and more details will be sent to participants closer to the event date:
Saturday, June 10
8 a.m.: Trolley Line Trail (Ashland and Hanover)
10 a.m.: Bryan Park and Lakeside (Richmond and Henrico)
12:00 p.m.: Chester Linear Park (Chesterfield)
“The Trailblazer is a fun fundraising event that answers the questions ‘How can I help build the Fall Line?’ and ‘How can I get a taste of what the Fall Line will be like?’,” Tyndall said. “Supporters get the chance to show or wear their support with this year’s annual Trailblazer designs, contribute to the work to build the trail, and experience guided tours of the trail alignment to see what is to come.”
The Fall Line Trailblazer event is the last event of Bike Walk RVA’s 10th Annual RVA Bike Month. With a theme of ‘Big Bike Energy,’ RVA Bike Month features a full calendar of 60 individual bike and pedestrian-related events and over 4,000 participants. Bike Walk RVA coordinates RVA Bike Month with the help of dozens of volunteers and advocates from across the Richmond region to draw attention to the Fall Line and to build community support for biking and walking. More details and the full calendar of events can be found at www.rvabikemonth.com.
For more details and registration for the Fall Line Trailblazer, please visit https://www.sportsbackers.org/events/fall-line-trailblazer/.
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About Sports Backers
With a key message of Let’s Go, RVA, the mission of Sports Backers is to inspire people to live actively. A nonprofit organization, Sports Backers is dedicated to producing nationally recognized quality sporting events and programs that motivate residents and visitors alike to be more active, supporting youth running and fitness programs, and advocating for safe and connected networks of bike and pedestrian infrastructure. Learn more at sportsbackers.org.