June 26, 2023

The Prairie Burn 100, sponsored by Imagine Grinnell, filled Central Park with people and activities on Saturday, June 10. A total of 182 riders and runners completed a gravel bike ride or 5K run while others enjoyed activities in the park and welcomed the athletes as they returned to the park.

The Prairie Burn 100 began at 8 a.m. with 110 bike riders crossing the Park St. starting line to set out on the first of three gravel rides, led northward out of town by Grinnell Mayor Dan Agnew driving his 2003 white Ford Thunderbird convertible. They completed the first 25-mile loop north and east of Grinnell by mid-morning, and 34 of the riders finished their gravel riding then.

At 9 a.m. the staff of UnityPoint Health-Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s Paul W. Ahrens Fitness Center led an hour of yoga on the Central Park stage. Participants spread out and filled the entire stage area for the 60 minutes of yoga practice.

The Prairie Burn 100 this year added a 5K fun run through the streets of northeast Grinnell, and a total of 72 people signed up to start out from the Park St. starting line and finish by crossing that same line to return to the park.

The Grinnell College Museum of Art and Drake Community Library teamed up to offer 90 minutes of Storytime and Art in the Park, starting at 10:30. The activity filled the shelter house with kids who could enjoy both literacy activities and making craft items brought by the partnering organizations.

Bloom, a pink Deep River food truck offering smoothies and snacks, opened for business at 10 a.m. on Park St., joined there at 11 by the Dari Barn on the MOOOve food truck with its array of treats and by the Kulinary Khaos food truck with burgers and fries as well as by Grinnell Craft Brewhouse serving north of the shelter house.

Runners arriving back at the park, bike riders finishing their second 25-mile loop to the northwest Grinnell, and those in the park to enjoy the event kept those serving food and beverages busy from mid-morning into early afternoon. A total of 59 bike riders completed the first and second 25-mile gravel loops before dismounting from their bikes for the day.

Seventeen bike riders rode the entire 100 miles, finishing a third, 50-mile gravel loop which reached nearly to Montezuma and Searsboro, before returning to the park to be welcomed and cheered by volunteers, friends and family.

Imagine Grinnell brought a smoothie bike to the park and brought three bags of frozen fruit and a gallon of pineapple juice with which to make smoothies. Anyone who wanted one placed the ingredients in a container and then hopped on the stationary bike to pedal, mixing up the fruit and juice into a smoothie. The bike was in service all morning until the ingredients ran out in the early afternoon.

Prairie Burn 100 is an annual fundraising event for Imagine Grinnell which recruited 35 volunteers to work shifts throughout the day, greeting runners and riders as they first arrived, welcoming them as each crossed the finish line and handing out goodie bags to participants.