Rave Run: Great Western Trail (Lombard, Illinois)
This post is my fourth in a series that I started a couple years ago, unabashedly based on a regular spread in Runner's World Magazine called Rave Runs, in order to share interesting routes with other runners. Why a post on running within a blog that concentrates on business and technology? One habit that I picked up on the road as a consultant over the years is always inquiring about local running paths while visiting unfamiliar locales for the first time. As discussed in other posts, I find running a pleasurable way to explore new places, and running has been a gift to me from an early age by helping me focus and providing stress relief.
This particular post has been long delayed, living in draft state for quite some time, and I thought it would be a good idea to finally play catch up before the year is out. My regular running on the crushed limestone paths of the Illinois Prairie Path and Great Western Trail in the Chicago area should be no surprise for anyone who reads this blog. A stretch of the Great Western Trail that crosses St Charles Road in Lombard had been so unsurmountable for such a long time that it was exciting to hear the announcement that the railroad intersection was to be enhanced with a bridge for the path. The unfortunate reality, however, is that construction was also delayed far beyond the planned November 2012 completion date.
The official ribbon cutting ceremony happened the following month, but I made it out on the new stretch on July 4 of this year, since that morning the barracades were noticeably pushed aside for the first time to make way for many other runners and bikers, judging by the tracks left behind. On subsequent runs, the barracades were moved to their former positions, but after a couple weeks it appeared that runners and bikers won the long wait and so could finally enjoy the view. The overhead photo below shows (in red) where the three bridges were built over Grace Street and the Union Pacific Railroad, just east of downtown Lombard, alongside the original path route (in yellow).