Dallasites exercise on the Katy Trail on Thursday afternoon. (Lindsay Paramore/The Daily Campus)
By ASHLEY WITHERS
Contributing Writer
Cardboard signs lining the Katy Trail ask patrons not just to exercise, but to “Exercise Their Support.”
These signs are part of the trail’s ongoing capital campaign.
While some trail-goers may dismiss these signs and continue their workouts undisturbed, it may interest others to know that the trail is privately funded, and donations make possible the amenities that Dallas residents and SMU community members may take for granted.
“The Katy Trail is like the cream-of-the-crop, in my opinion, of all Dallas trails,” said Vicki Wood, professor of wellness at SMU.
The City of Dallas owns the trail, but patrons and supporters of the community trail are responsible for the management of the property.
The Friends of the Katy Trail, a non-profit organization founded to organize community support for the trail, pays for 90 percent of the trail’s upkeep.
The goal of this year’s capital campaign is to raise $150,000 by Oct. 31. The money will be used to provide better lighting, more water fountains and the necessary upkeep, like getting rid of weeds and tree branch trimmings.
The Friends need to reach this goal in order for the trail to meet the standards that the community is used to.
The Katy Trail currently runs a length of 3.5 miles. It starts off of Airline Road near SMU and ends in Victory Park, near the American Airlines Center.
There is a marker line in the cement every quarter mile to help trail-goers keep track of their mileage.
A small sign is placed at each marker with an exact location and an emergency number to improve safety measures on the trail.
SMU senior Chris Hamilton runs on the trail at least two times a week.
One of his favorite parts of working out on the Katy Trail is the path on which it takes him.
“It ends at the American Airlines Center, and I think that’s really cool. Here I am [in] downtown, and I was just working out,” Hamilton said.
Some of the money raised will also go toward completing the bike and pedestrian path that will link the Mockingbird DART station to the West End in downtown.
It will consist of a concrete bike trail and a parallel, soft-surface running path, with several entrances and plazas linking the Katy Trail to other North Dallas parks.
“It’s cool to explore an area that used to be considered an eye-sore to the community; to have the old Union Pacific Railroad donate the tracks,” Wood said. “Then the Friends of Katy Trail stepp[ed] in to help develop it into a beautiful trail with wide lanes, plaza entrances, benches with beautiful landscaping and water fountains for humans and pets.”
“There is history with the trail,” he said.
SMU students enjoy the trail in a variety of ways. Some walk or jog with friends, others rollerblade or cycle and some even use it to train for marathons or other competitive events.
Amy Crowe, a junior at SMU, first used the Katy Trail as a freshman when she was a member of the university rowing team to run as part of the team’s training regimen.
This year, she takes time to rollerblade on the trail at least once a week.
“I like to go there to clear my head,” Crowe said. “I like how it’s an escape from the city. You’re out of the city, but still part of it.”
For serious runners, the trail proves to be useful in other ways.
Two years ago, Hamilton ran the White Rock Half Marathon, in which the last three miles of the race were on the Katy Trail where he had been training.
“I felt like I was at home,” Hamilton said. “It helped me finish the race.”
The trail is conveniently located near SMU for the entire community to enjoy and make use of.
For more information on the 2010 Katy Trail Capital Campaign, go to katytraildallas.org.
