Active Profiles

Dave Rack

Dave Rack: Tethered to the Lake

Dave Rack has worked as an eco-guide in Maui, spearfished in the Dominican Republic, and snorkeled in Southeast Asia, begging one to ask why he chose to set up shop doing kayak tours in Door County.

“The endless coastline,” the 27-year old explains. “And I’ve got a great knowledge of it having spent so much time up here.”

Door County has over 300 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and Rack spends his days getting acquainted with them all. He started kayaking when he was 14 when his uncle Jimmy took him down the Mink River and launched his Door County Kayak Tours fresh out of college when he was 23.

Now he’ll hit the water just about anyway he can, especially kite-surfing, and favors a trek to Garrett Bay near Ellison Bay. Find out more about Rack and kayak tours at http://www.doorcountykayaktours.com

– Myles Dannhausen Jr.

Freddie Bexell

Freddie Bexell: Cycling Swede

Freddie Bexell cooks at Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant, but in his spare time, wins competitive mountain bike races.

In June he won his age group (and finished fourth overall) in the Big Ring Classic at 9 Mile Forest in Wausau, part of the Wisconsin Off-Road Series (WORS).

When he can escape from the kitchen, he bikes around Door County as much as he can, both mountain biking and road riding. “We’re really spoiled up here,” he said. “We have a lot of great roads for biking.” The 8.5 mile off-road loop at Peninsula State Park is a favorite, but for road biking he takes a longer route.

“I like to take Old Stage [out of Sister Bay] to Ephraim, then over to the golf course and enter the park through there…or take Shore Road into Egg Harbor and then into Bailey’s Harbor.”

Freddie’s favorite bike – and the one he raced at Big Ring – is a Trek 8500, but he also rides a Trek Fuel and a Gary Fisher Rig for off-roading, and a Trek Madone on the road.

– Julia Kennelly

Krista Lawell: A Runner’s World

Krista Lawell has been running since she was eight years old. A high school track and cross country athlete, she decided to pursue running as a free agent while in college.

She ran her first marathon as a college senior, and since then has completed 16 more all over the country, with many half-marathons thrown in for good measure.

She has run the Boston marathon five times, and will run her tenth Chicago this October where she will lead a pace group with a three hour and 40 minute completion time goal (the qualifying time for Boston).

Lawell favors running along quiet, rural roads.

“Right now I’m really into country roads,” she said. “I like to take Lakeview up to Wildwood [in Ellison Bay] then over to Old Stage, then back to Highview…there are some really cool farms and meadows along the back roads. It’s just so calm and peaceful; it really gets me in a good mindset for running.”

– Julia Kennelly

Will Marks

Will Marks: Prepping for the Wind

Will Marks piers out his restaurant windows each day in hopes of seeing the south wind pick up. When it does, he and his crew pick up the prep pace at Restaurant Saveur and head to Anclam Beach in hopes of getting some kite boarding in before the dinner service.

“When the wind comes in we’re gonna find a place,” Marks says. “When it’s good wind, Baileys Harbor is a great spot. It’s big water.”

The father of two young boys has opened a small shop selling kite boarding gear adjacent to the restaurant and hopes to start a kids surf camp at Ridges Beach down the road. That’s where his boys, ages four and seven, can catch a little wave and get up on the surf board for 20 feet or so.

“It’s not salt water, but it works,” he says.

– Myles Dannhausen Jr.