Bring four wheels and a helmet; 10-mile skateboard marathon in Portage today.

By: Jen McCoy Daily Register

No helmet, no ride.

Bring a long board or standard skate deck and strap on your helmet today to join the first Skateboard Marathon in Portage. The 10-mile path, approved for safety by the Portage Police Department, is a fundraiser for the Portage Family Skate Park.

The organization recently received a $5,000 matching fund grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation.

“The hope is that we’ll be able to raise enough money with this event and Kids Day at Culver’s (Sept. 14) to match and surpass the amount of money. Right now we’re sitting on a little over $4,000,” said Kyle Little, president of the PFSP.

The marathon begins at the east end of the 800 block of East Edgewater Street. Registration is $20 per person and begins at 10 a.m., and the event starts at 10:30. Maps will be available at the registration table. All participants must wear a helmet. All proceeds go to the Portage Family Skate Park Project.

“People do not have to complete the whole thing. But if people decide to go off the marathon trail, we can’t watch them. We will have police volunteers on the route and encourage parents to go with their children. We won’t charge the parents (for supervising their child),” Little said. “Also, bring a helmet. If you show up without a helmet, we will have a very limited number and select sizes of bike helmets for sale, but we’re encouraging people to bring their own. No helmet, no ride.”

Custom Portage skate decks will be on hand, too, along with stickers and T-shirts. The skate decks are $40 and have been popular, Little said.

“We started with 500 and we have less than 30 left. They went like hot cakes and most were sold to Portage people. The mayor bought one and it’s in his office,” he said.

The goal is to raise $90,000 by early next summer. Once it’s reached, the group can start breaking ground and get the first (and most expensive) section of the Skate Park Plaza built near the new splash pad. This section will be the one that has skill levels for all skateboarders, Little said.

For more information, visit portageskatepark.org.

jmccoy@capitalnewspapers.com

608-745-3519