Festival promotes health

A gorgeous summer day was the scene at last Saturday's 2nd annual Bloomington FitnessFest, held in downtown Bloomington on Kirkwood Avenue. Crowds of bystanders attended the festival which included a health fair and a bike race. The health fair was organized by senior Jamie Kivett and sponsored by the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Bloomington's Parks and Recreation, IU RecSports, and Bloomington Hospital. Organizing the health fair was part of Kivett's senior project. \n"The purpose is to promote living well and healthy lifestyles," said Kivett. \nBooths were set up in Kirkwood's People's Park and sponsors handed out fitness and health information to patrons. IU RecSports promoted their health and fitness programs which were directed at "not only students but the community as well," said Kivett. \nThe other half of FitnessFest consisted of professional and amateur bike races. The race portion was organized by cycling fan and graduate student Aaron Pilling, who was part of the 1997 Cutters team that won the Little 500. "This is the biggest cycling event of the weekend in the region," Pilling said. "Our goal is to make it the biggest pro-cycling race in the Midwest." \nHe also seemed impressed by the enthusiasm of the audience and hopes for an even larger crowd next year. \n"Bike races are fun to watch and it's that much more exciting when it's a community event," Pilling added. \nThe race itself was split into four competitions consisting of the Women's Open, the Three-Fourths Men's Race, a Kid's Race and finally the Pro Am race. Prizes ranged from $500 all the way to $2000 awarded to the winner of the Pro Race. The L-shaped, .6 mile long race course started on Kirkwood, continued down Indiana, Dunn and Grant, and then finished back on Kirkwood. The race attracted a number of professional racers from the Midwest region including Kenny Labbe, a member of the United States Postal Service team. Labbe, a resident of Arlington Heights, Ill., is a member of the 21 person team whose most notable cyclist is 4 time Tour De France winner, Lance Armstrong. \n"I've heard great things about this town and the race," Labbe said. "After seeing Breaking Away, I've always wanted to compete here," he added. The race was sponsored by WFIU, Royal Volvo, Bikesmith and other local organizations. \nAlso, the race was attended by Bloomington mayoral candidate Fred Prall, who said he was "very impressed" by the day's festivities. \nPatrick O'Donnell, a member of the West Virginia Pro Cycling team, won the Pro Race. John Sanchez of Louisville won the Three-Fourth Men's Race and Julie Sanchez, a Louisville member of the UPS team, won the Women's Open.