Fundraising walk keeps St. Charles man's dream alive

Joan Leonard isn't quite sure what it was that made her husband so enamored with improving the health and aesthetics of the Fox River.

"When we first moved to St. Charles, Bob just committed himself to working with other people to make the riverfront in St. Charles the best it could be and turning it into the Pride of the Fox.

"It's hard to put it all in words as to how much he loved the river, but it was his goal in life as we lived here."

To that end, Bob Leonard worked with other individuals and organizations in the community in forming the St. Charles River Corridor Foundation. He was active in pursuing riverfront projects until his passing in 2006.

In his memory, friends and family created a fundraising walk along the Fox River three years ago, and it has resulted in completion of the Bob Leonard Walkway and other riverfront enhancements.

Leonard's daughter, Jennifer Biddle, is front and center now as a chairman for this year's walk, which she said will again feature "a whole new crowd" because of last year's addition of a 5K run.

"This is the second year we have added the run to the event, but the first time that the runners will start earlier, making it almost like two events on the same day," said Biddle, who is organizing the event with co-chair Deb Pfaff.

The Bob Leonard 5K Run and Walk-a-Thon takes place Saturday at Pottawatomie Park, with runners taking off at 8 a.m. and walkers starting at 9:30 a.m., after an awards ceremony for the runners.

"Having the runners is like a whole new dimension and a different crowd of people getting involved," Biddle said. "We like the idea of the different times, because now as the walkers are getting signed in and ready for their event, they will be able to cheer on the runners as they finish."

Biddle calls the 5K run finish line behind the Pottawatomie Park pavilion "the most beautiful finish line ever seen," but added that to reach it, runners will have to be mentally tough.

"This is an adventurous course that has hills and grass, so it's not just a flat run," Biddle said of the USATF-certified course, which crosses the Fox River and heads north into the hills of Timber Trails Park.

Walkers may not face that sort of challenge, but their 2.7-mile hike through downtown St. Charles and Mount St. Mary Park will feature all of the work of the St. Charles River Corridor Foundation.

Funds from this year's event will help finish the Bob Leonard Walkway extension, designed to go past the Brownstone complex, under the Prairie Street Bridge and connecting to Mount St. Mary Park. The current Bob Leonard Walkway has helped beautify and stabilize the riverfront in the downtown area south of the Illinois Street Bridge.

Walkers will stop for short dedications at other corridor foundation projects, including the Frank Gorham canoe launch site just north of the police station and municipal center complex on the Freedom Walk. The walk ends at Pottawatomie Park, where food and entertainment will be offered for all participants.

Early registration for the walk or run is $25, while event-day registration costs $30. Sign-in begins an hour before event start times. Participants are encouraged to raise pledges for the event, with prizes being awarded to those who contribute with the most pledges.

Information about online registration is available on the stcrivercorridor.org website.