Pictured above (from left to right) are Julia Keepper, supervisor at McLaren Fitness,
Amanda Schafer, executive director at Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation,
and Allison Quast, manager at Motorless Motion and Mid-Michigan Community
Pathways group member.
Pictured right (from left to right) are Natalie "the Beast" Voigt, John "Road Rash"
Pilling, Marty "Training Wheels" Schafer, and Crystal "Crazy Legs" Parsons
Team McLaren Fitness beat out six other teams Saturday, June 9, to win the 3rd annual Business Relay Race, sponsored by McLaren-Central Michigan. The bicycle relay race, held in downtown Mt. Pleasant, was part of the 2012 Le Tour de Mont Pleasant weekend event, organized and hosted by the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce.
McLaren Fitness, having just opened an indoor group cycling studio, entered the race with a desire to show the community their commitment to fitness through cycling. Team members included McLaren Fitness employees John “Road Rash” Pilling, Crystal “Crazy Legs” Parsons, Marty “Training Wheels” Schafer, and Natalie “The Beast” Voigt, with Julia “Lance” Keepper as pit crew. The team’s theme was “the 80’s” and they won in impressive 80’s fashion, including hairstyles.
Entry fees from each team, totaling $350, were donated to the winning team’s charity of choice, and McLaren Fitness chose the Mid-Michigan Community Pathways Group. The group is made up of community leaders dedicated to developing a non-motorized pathway connecting the Pere-Marquette Rail Trail, which begins in Clare, with the Fred Meijer Trail, which begins in Alma. The trail would run through the communities of Clare, Rosebush, Mt. Pleasant, Shepherd, and Alma, and would also extend to St. Louis and Ithaca.
“McLaren Fitness is committed to health, fitness, and well-being, so it was an easy choice for us to support this group,” said Julia Keepper, supervisor at McLaren Fitness, “It’s a project we can really get behind.”
The pathway will be used by bicyclists, walkers, runners, handicap users, and rollerbladers in the warmer months, with cross country skiers utilizing the pathway in winter. Families, individuals, young and old will all have access to the trail for recreation and commuting purposes. Keeping in mind the beauty of nature all around us, the proposed pathway will encompass the existing wildlife and disrupt natural surroundings as little as possible.
"The Mid-Michigan Community Pathways Group would like to thank McLaren Fitness for their donation to the trail maintenance fund,” said Allison Quast, manager of Motorless Motion in downtown Mt. Pleasant, and member of the Mid-Michigan Community Pathways Group. “When applying for grants and other funding opportunities, this gift will show that our community supports this initiative."
The Mid-Michigan Community Pathways fund is housed at the Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation. To contribute to the fund or for more information, call (989) 773-7322 or email info@mpacf.org.
McLaren Central Michigan would like to congratulate Team McLaren Fitness on their win. Way to go team!