Silent Sports: Cultivating the Next Generation of Visitors

I didn’t see it.

When my boss, Dave Eliot, first told me about the idea of creating a half marathon in Peninsula State Park, I didn’t see the draw. I wondered who would want to come all the way up here, in early May, just to run when the weather is notoriously hit or miss, half the county’s businesses are still closed, and the water’s not even warm enough for the ducks yet.

He and a group of organizers had already moved beyond those doubts. In fact, those doubts were part of the reason for doing it. “Exactly,” he said. “So why not create an event that will force people to open their doors? Why not do it when the community can get behind it?”

Dave had already decided that this was going to happen, his intensity made that clear, and soon I was on board to help out. Two weeks ago, I was giving final instructions to 2,000 runners as they lined up for the 4th annual Door County Half Marathon and Nicolet Bay 5k. I never thought it would grow that quickly.

The event has been a phenomenal success, but not just because of what happens on the 13.1 miles of the course. As I left the park and entered Fish Creek Saturday night, I saw a different crowd on the streets and soaked in a rare Door County moment when I, at 32, wasn’t far younger than everyone I passed. Businesses that wouldn’t have opened yet four years ago were packed. Our race shirts were everywhere. My friends in the service industry were going home with smiles watered by the cash in their pockets.

Like the Door County Triathlon, the Fall 50, the Ride for Nature, and the Door County Century Ride, the Door County Half Marathon is bringing a much younger clientele to the peninsula. This year more than 9,000 people will participate in the peninsula’s running, biking, or paddling events, and surveys of participants in these events show that 60 – 80 percent of them are age 20 – 49. They travel with spouses, friends, and children, many being introduced or introducing others to the peninsula for the first time. More than half of them stay in motels or B&Bs.

These events are changing the way people perceive Door County, moving beyond simply relaxing in, to experiencing the peninsula. Silent sports draw people not by taking from the environment that makes it possible, but celebrating it in the most sensory of ways – on foot, bike, or kayak.

This weekend the Door County Silent Sports Alliance will spread the message with the 3rd annual Door County Bike Summit, featuring presentations by some of the state’s foremost experts in bike planning and the economic impact of silent sports on communities. For enthusiasts it’s a chance to learn more about how trails and routes can be improved and to show their power in numbers, but it’s also a chance for those who aren’t part of the biking community to learn about a growing niche market waiting for the peninsula to throw open its doors to it.

At a time when everyone is talking about jobs, I hope more will start to see where new ones will be created, not just where the old ones were.

To see tonight’s schedule of events, click here>>