2 events in Springfield, Illinois

The Springfield Bicycle Club is excited to renew our popular Sangamon Gravel Series, and rebrand as the Thunder Road Gravel tour! Last year we brought you all together for a series of rides around Springfield. This year, we're expanding the series to a wider region!

Join us for a series of rides from May through August and explore what the central Illinois has to offer when you venture off of the beaten path. Ride specifics are TBD, but expect something in the ballpark of 30 and 60 mile options with a convenience store stop in the middle. After each ride, we'll have an optional takeover of a local brewery/bar/restaurant.

This is a no-cost series, so there will be no SAG offered. As a gravel rider, you're probably already self-sufficient enough to fix a flat or minor mechanical on the road and if you're not, make some friends out there! But that's just the basic highlights.

Points-Based Competition

The most exciting part of the series will be a points-based competition. Each route will have a few gravel segments selected where riders will have the option of competing to do their best efforts. Points will be awarded based on the best times set that day on Strava, with leaderboards tracked for men and women.

While the rides are is not a race, our encouragement of competition on the points segments means that we will use BikeSignup.com so that we can track participants and waivers. This is a no-cost registration, but it will be mandatory for points competition eligibility. Whether you want to get out for a fun spin around some gravel roads you may not have ridden yet, put down some blistering times on the competitive segments, or just get miles rides in with great friends and scenery, we hope you'll join us!!

Dates and locations:

• May 23 - Cuba IL, collaborating with Gravel Syndicate

• June 13 - TBD

• July 11 - Winchester IL, collaborating with Rural Cyclery

• August 9 - TBD

This event will be updated with routes and details as we approach each event, and you can keep current with discussion and details on our Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/782650436593916

Route collection - https://ridewithgps.com/collections/3961753

Routes will be posted as we approach each ride.

The latest edition of the Lincoln Memorial Garden 8K Trail Race and associated Kids Fun Run in Springfield, Illinois is scheduled to be held on Saturday May 30, 2026. Eight kilometers (4.97 miles) of trails – with the course entirely situated within the Garden - will test runners’ stamina over the scenic trails and pathways of the historic Garden, along the trails next to Lake Springfield, and throughout the Ostermeier Prairie Center grounds.

We greatly appreciate the following very positive comments from previous races:

“The course was well laid out and marked, the staff was very helpful,

and the snacks and drinks after were very welcomed.”

“Thanks for the great race. I really enjoyed it!”

“This was one of the best marked trails I have ever been on. There wasn’t

a chance anyone could get lost on that course.”

“You made a lot of runners happy bringing this race back and doing such an amazing job with it.”

And, not to be left out, the kids can enjoy a Fun Run around the pond at the Cawley Meadow.

On-line registration will open on February 1, 2026 See the different registration prices below. Register early and receive a $5 discount off the regular price for the 8K.

Race Particulars

Race Date: Saturday May 30, 2026 (No rain date is scheduled and there are no refunds available for this race).

8K Start Time: 7:30 a.m. Kids Fun Run Start Time: 9:00 a.m.

Registration site: https://runsignup.com/Race/IL/Springfield/LincolnMemorialGarden

Registration will open on February 1, 2026.

8K Trail Race - Early Registration is $32; $37 after April 15, 2026 plus a variable signup fee.

You will need to register on your own phone/computer; there will be no manual registration or on-site computers for registration at packet pickup or on race day.

Registration is open to a maximum of 300 participants. Each participant receives a shirt and a wooden medallion at race finish. Food and drinks are provided after the race to participants. For both the 8K and Fun Runs, receipt of a shirt is guaranteed if registration is received before TBD. Registration remains open until 15 minutes before race time or until the 300-person participation limit is reached, whichever is sooner.

Kids Fun Run - No limit on number of participants. Registration is $10 plus a variable signup fee. Each participant receives a t-shirt and a finishing medal. Age groups: 4 and under, 5-7, 8 and over. The Youngest age group will run a straightaway next to the pond (34 yards); the Middle group runs one lap around the pond (225 yards); and the Older kids will run 2 laps around the pond (415 yards). Registration ends 15 minutes before race time. You will need to register on your own phone/computer; there will be no manual registration or on-site computers for registration at packet pickup or on race day.

Packet pickup: Friday from 4-6 p.m. at the Springfield Running Center, 2943 W. White Oaks Drive, Springfield. Race-day pickup at LMG starts at 6:30 a.m.

The 8K is a no-spike race – the start/finish area is sidewalk and porous pavement. There are also many wood-plank bridges throughout the course that spikes would damage. The bulk of the course is wood-chipped trails, fine-chip gravel trails, and grass trails. There is also a short length of gravel driveway.

Elevation Data and Course Map: https://runsignup.com/Race/LincolnMemorialGarden/Page/CourseMap

Awards for the 8K will be given to the winning man, woman, and non-binary finishers and to the first finishing man and woman Masters runners (40 and over). These race winners and Masters winners will also receive a $50 gift card to the Springfield Running Center (Thank you, Tracy!). Awards will also be presented to the second finishing non-binary runner and to the top three men and top three women finishers in the following age groups: 19 and under, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70 and over. Registrants selecting "Prefer not to say" under gender selection are not eligible for awards.

Special Project: Would you be willing to add a donation to your registration fee for a Special Project? Thanks to these extra donations from runners, LMG has purchased a spotting scope and tripod for wildlife viewing, an audio system for the bird feeder area to enhance visitor experience, and shade material for an enlarged covered stage area, which will be used to help keep our summer camp kids from getting too much sun during their activities. Thank you, runners!!

LMG website: https://lincolnmemorialgarden.org/

Thank you for your participation and support of Lincoln Memorial Garden!