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THE SCOOP
Do you like bike paths, bike lanes and other bike-friendly things we tend to take for granted? The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the 2004 Transportation Appropriations bill tomorrow, Sept. 4. That bill contains language that eliminates funding for the popular Trans- portation Enhancements program, the major source of federal money for projects such as multiuse paths, bike lanes and safety education efforts. Reps. Tom Petri (R-WI) and John Olver (D-MA) will offer an amendment during debate on Thursday to restorethe funding. Call your U.S. Represen- tative today and ask them to support the amendment, which would remove Section 114 of HR 2989. To figure out who represents you, visit: www.house.gov
You also can call the main Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.

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THE NEWS
Patrick Nthiwa of Kenya and Alevtina Ivanova of Russia pulled off victories at Monday's soggy Park Forest Scenic 10-Miler. The rain wasn't a problem. For complete race coverage and a photo gallery, visit:
www.chicagoaa.com/news/parkforest03final.html

Meb Keflezighi set a U.S. record at Monday's New Haven 20K in Connecticut. Keflezigi most likely will be running The 2003 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. For the story, visit:
www.runningnetwork.com/news/newhaven03final.html

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THE RESULTS
You can catch up on the weekend action, including recent posts from the Harvest Fest, Buffalo Grove Stampede, Runner's Edge Trail Half-Marathon, Blueberry Stomp and the Park Forest Scenic 10. Here's where to go:
www.chicagoaa.com/results/searchable.html

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THE WEEKEND AHEAD
The schedule of events is really crowded for the rest of September. We in the Chicago area are really fortunate to have so many choices. Headliners are the Makin' Tracks 5K on Saturday in River Forest, the well-established Chicago Half-Marathon on Sunday, which starts and finishes at the Museum of Science and Industry, the brand new Fox River Half-Marathon, also on Sunday, in St. Charles, and the Harmon Hundred bike ride, also on Sunday, at Wilmot, WI. It's a big weekend. The Chicago Half-Marathon could draw 7,000 competitors. For the complete schedule for this weekend, which includes triathlon action within a few hours of Chicago, visit our searchable calendar at:
www.chicagoaa.com/calendar/smu.html

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THE BIG DIP
Actually, it's the Big Shoulders Open-Water Swim Classic, and it's this Saturday at Ohio Street Beach. The last big swim event of the season is put on by the Chicago Masters and offers distances of 2.5 or 5 kilometers. Here's more info:
www.bigshoulders.org

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THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
The Lake Geneva Triathlons are on Saturday, Sept. 13. An incorrect date appears for this event on the Race Highlights page in our September issue.

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THE WARNING: ENTRIES ARE NOT TRANSFERABLE
Thanks to the Chicago Area Runners Association for this important reminder. "You cannot buy, sell, give away, or transfer entries for the marathon (or any other race). If you participate in a race using someone else's entry, you will not be protected by race insurance, since you are not a legitimate registrant, and the race results will appear in the name of the person to whom the entry really belongs." We couldn't have stated it better.

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THE CLOSER
Good luck to the many local triathletes competing this Sunday at Ironman Wisconsin in Madison or at the Mideast Regional Championships near Indian- apolis. We know this is your Super Bowl and World Series. Go for it! You can wish your friends good luck or if you're competing, you can share your experiences on our message board. Just click here:
www.chicagoaa.com/cgi-bin/messageboard/view.pl