UNIVERSITY CENTER -- Saginaw Valley State University is set to officially unveil its new outdoor recreation trail on Thursday, June 27, as there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the new trail on campus. The event will take place at 10:00 a.m. in Lot H, which is just to the west of the Health and Human Services building.
Saginaw Valley State University has received multiple grants and donations to support the construction of the SVSU Cross Country Recreation Trail, which will serve SVSU students and runners throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region.
The trail features an NCAA sanctioned 5-kilometer grass course with interval loops for 6-kilometer, 8-kilometer and 10-kilometer runs that is constructed on the north side of SVSU's campus. Its proximity to the existing asphalt trail that circles campus will make the SVSU Cross Country Recreation Trail one of the most spectator-friendly courses in the Midwest.
"The trail will be a great addition and will allow us to host meets on campus, which will be terrific for our runners and those who support them," said Rod Cowan, SVSU head track & field and cross country coach. "We train hard, often early in the morning, and now we will have a top-notch course for our student-athletes, too. It's just a great asset for our program and the local community in general. I would like to thank everybody who has contributed to making this concept a reality."
SVSU estimates the trail will benefit more the 30,000 people per year including SVSU students, faculty and staff, as well as residents of Michigan's Great Lakes Bay Region.
In addition to serving SVSU's men's and women's cross country teams, the trail is expected to serve as a regional location for many area competitions, as several high schools have contacted SVSU to express interest in such a trail. SVSU intends for its new trail to provide a safe cross country recreation trail for all students to train and compete.
In addition to the benefits for cross country runners, the trail also will serve as a community resource to provide access for recreation in natural areas of the SVSU campus, something that appealed to the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy and Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network.
One example of a natural area on the SVSU campus is the wetlands preserve. You can learn more about it here: http://www.svsu.edu/biology/about/instructionalfacilitieswetlandspreserve