Participants in the 6th annual Bike-a-thon cross the finish line. (Contributed photo)

For the City-Times

On Saturday, August 9th, after biking either 4, 13.5, 20, or 62 miles nearly 350 participants ranging from ages 2 to 74 crossed at triumphant finish line to support the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County at their 6th annual Bike-a-thon held at Travel Guard in Stevens Point.

Promoting health and wellness for the youth of Portage County, this family-friendly event began bright and early with the 62-mile riders heading out at 7:30 a.m. and concluded with the 4-mile Rich Johnson Family Ride leaving at 10:30 a.m.

Throughout the four different routes, participants could take a break at the various rest stops, where they were provided with water and nutritious snacks for energy. All riders completed the ride safely with the help of over 70 volunteers, police and EMS support who supervised the busy intersections and rode behind the last rider on each route.

Crossing the finish line, the kids were rewarded with medals, and the ride was followed by games, music, face painting, a clown who made balloon animals and shapes, individual and team awards, and a free lunch provided by Subway.

“We had a great turn-out for the event this year and are so thankful to have the support of the surrounding community,” said Brittany Melby, Director of Marketing and        Development.

“Each year, participation in this event continues to grow and we can only hope this will continue for many years to come. We are so grateful for every- one who came out to show support for our local youth through this fun and safe event family-friendly event.”

A special thank you to AIG-Travel Guard for hosting the event, and thank you to all of the community sponsors, police, EMS, volunteers, teams, and participants for making this year’s Bike-a-thon a record-breaking year by helping us raise over $25,600.

For more infor- mation regarding the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County or this event, call 715- 341-4386, email [email protected] org, visit the web- site at www.bg- clubpc.org, or like us on Facebook at www.facebook. com/bgclubpc and see a full album of pictures from the Bike-a-thon event.