Kevin Boyle getting ready to run all the way around Lake Winnebago.
Lake Mendota tried, but it didn’t turn Kevin Boyle from a runner into a rower.
“Tall runners make good rowers,” Kevin explained. “I was a runner in high school, and I was recruited to row at UW.” He loved rowing, but he only stuck with it for one year. Kevin really wanted to get back to running, and ultimately became the president of the track club.
Lake Winnebago didn’t even try. It just tempted Kevin to show up and do what he does best – run.
Kevin is a writer for Wiscampsin, an online blog and newsletter seeking to further engagement with Wisconsin’s great outdoors. He was researching lake sturgeon for an article he was writing, but he got sidetracked when he learned there was a published record for the Fastest Known Time (FKT) for running all the way around Lake Winnebago.
Kevin has friends who enjoy trying to set new FKTs, and they decided this was a great opportunity. But they wanted to leverage their attempt into a way to protect and restore the waters of Lake Winnebago.
“I started looking into who is helping restore it to the best it can be,” said Kevin. That’s how he found Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance. Reading through the website, he thought to himself, “I would love to do something with them!”
Kevin wrote an article for his readers, telling them all about what makes Lake Winnebago amazing. And he invited them to follow his attempt to run the 72-mile course around the lake at record pace.
Race day came with beautiful spring weather, and Kevin and his friends enjoyed abundant sunshine. It was a nail-biter to the end, but after 14 hours and 8 minutes, “we ended up breaking the record by 10 minutes,” Kevin said.
Kevin wasn’t the only winner that day. Thanks to his efforts to promote Fox-Wolf, he and his friends raised $600 to support Fox-Wolf’s mission. “Fox-Wolf was easy to work with,” Kevin said. “The mission is clear, and people were very receptive.”
People so often take Wisconsin’s water resources for granted. “You don’t realize until you move away or visit around the world,” Kevin said, “but we have the largest body of fresh water right in our backyard. I really enjoy being right next to the Great Lakes.”
Watershed Moments is a publication of Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, sharing the stories of how your donations have impacted lives in our community. Read our latest project updates, make a secure online donation, or become a member at www.fwwa.org
