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THE SCOOP:
Ultramarathon runner Roy Pirrung of Sheboygan, WI, embarks on a four-day run today (Thursday) that will take him from Manitowoc, WI, to Valparaiso, IN. Pirrung, who is a spokesman for the Natural Ovens Bakery in Manitowoc, is publicizing Natural Ovens' new facility in Valp- araiso with the run. The Illinois portions of his journey will be on Friday, when he runs from the Milwaukee to Ravinia Park, and on Saturday, when he runs from Ravinia south all the way into Indiana. Bob Klein, owner of the Runners' Edge stores in Libertyville and Wilmette, will run with Roy on Saturday morning from Ravinia to close to his store in Wilmette. Klein and Pirrung have a friendship that goes back many years from when Klein ran a Thanksgiving 10K that Pirrung produced on the Sheboygan lakefront.

For the latest information in Roy's Run and how to know where he is if you want to join him for a few miles, log onto: http://www.naturalovens.com, and then click on "Where's Roy?" For more information, check out: http://www.chicagoaa.com/news/pirrung03.html

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THE NEWS: An information session on the new Heart of America Ride for AIDS will be held at 7 o'clock tonight (Thursday) at the Buzz Cafe, 905 S. Lombard Ave., Oak Park. This is a chance to learn about the new event, have your questions answered, and register. Topics will include fundraising and training. The ride will take place July 12 and 13 near Starved Rock State Park. You can go up to 225 miles with the pledge minimum set at $1,500. For further information, call 708-524-2899, or e-mail: info@aidsride2003.org.

One more time. A public meeting to discuss a proposed "Flyway" on the lakefront path is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, at Navy Pier Festival Hall, Room 329. The Chicago Department of Transportation, Bureau of Bridges and Transit will present its plans for an elevated section of path that would abut Lake Shore Drive from Jane Addams Park to the south to the existing path on the north side of the Chicago River. It would cross Grand Ave., Illinois St. and the Ogden Slip and would run along the west wall of Lake Point Tower. For info, call 312-744-3591.

The Dairyland Half-Ironman Triathlon this July 27 in Racine, WI, has closed registration after hitting its 1,250 registration cap. However, there are 20 "charity" spots open, and they'll go very fast. For the story, go to: http://www.chicagoaa.com/news/dairyland03full.html.

The Wisconsin Off Road Series (mountain biking) comes to Alpine Valley near East Troy, WI, the weekend of May 3-4. A trail run (footrace) has been added this year. To make sure things go smoothly, the event is seeking more volunteers. If interested, contact Kevin Eccles at kpeccles@aol.com.

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THE WEEKEND:
The calendar is loaded for what is predicted to (finally) be a warm and sunny weekend. Headliners include two big runs, the Universal Sole Lakefront 10-Miler on Saturday and the Ravenswood Run 5K, produced by Fleet Feet Sports, on Sunday.

The Lakefront 10 expects about 2,800 runners, Universal Sole owner Paul Peters said on Wednesday. The race has $3,500 in prize money and some top runners are entered. "The field is shaping up nicely," Peters said. He mentioned men's defending champion Jacek Kafel of Chicago, Dave Dominguese of Racine, WI and Jacob Brundage of Mount Pleasant, MI as three to watch. The men's masters field will feature Mike Egle and Greg Domantay in what could be an interesting duel. This will be a rare racing appearance by Domantay, a popular area running coach. On the women's side, Jenny Spangler of Gurnee, Sue Appleyard of Lisle and Candy Herrick of Downers Grove are the three to beat right now. Diane Gallagher of Tinley Park is among the top masters women entered so far, Peters said. Race time is 8 a.m. on SATURDAY at Simmonds Drive and Montrose Park (lakefront). Call 773-868-0893.

Ravenswood race director Melissa Flynn said Wednesday a field of more than 1,000 runners is expected in the CARA Circuit event on Chicago's North Side. Because it is a Circuit race, the field will be of high quality. The street course has seven turns and is usually pretty fast. The seventh annual event will have Clydes- dale competition for the first time, and through Wednesday, 47 "Clydes" were signed up. "We're really excited to have them on board," Flynn said. Runners are asked to bring two cans of food to help pantries in the Ravenswood area. Race time is 8 a.m. on SUNDAY at Wilson (4600 N & Hermitage 1750 W). Call 312-587-3338 for more information. Look for the Chicago Athlete tent at Ravenswood, and stop by and say "hi!"

There are 13 other runs within 90 minutes of Chicago, not to mention cycling events that include the Silver Springs 60 in Yorkville. Spring has sprung! For all the information, check out: http://www.chicagoaa.com/calendar/smu.html.

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THE BOSTON MARATHON RECAP:
It turned out to be very warm in Boston on Monday, making for some difficult running from the elites to the not-so-elites! You probably know that Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya and Svetlana Zakharova of Russia were the winners. Top Illinois finishers were Chris Toepfer, 40, Chicago in 2:45:23, and Christen Meyer, 40, LaGrange in 3:02:47. And women's wheelchair winner Christina Ripp (1:54:47) is with the University of Illinois program in Champaign. Congrats to Christina! Check out: http://www.runningnetwork.com/news/boston03finalwrap.ht ml.

The last American male winner, Greg Meyer in1983, was on hand to offer his pick as the next great American marathoner. He named Dathan Ritzenhein. (Okay, he's probably biased because both are from Michigan). If you were to look back at Meyer's winning time of 2:09:00 and compare it with subsequent winners' times, it would have been good enough to win 14 times (that includes 2003).

At the Boston Marathon Breakfast of Champions on Saturday morning, Joan Benoit Samuelson said when she met Deena Drossin at the New York Marathon, she knew Deena was the one who would break her long-standing U.S. record of 2:21:21 set at Chicago in 1985. Drossin did with a 2:21:16 in London on April 13. Benoit Samuelson also said she believes American Marla Runyan can run under 2:21. What do you think? Share your opinion on our Message Board at: http://www.chicagoaa.com/cgi-bin/messageboard/view.pl.

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THE CLOSER:
This Saturday is Friends of the Park/Chicago Park District Earth Day cleanup. http://www.fotp.org/programs/volunteersInPrksProj/earthDay PrksCleanUp.asp