A small Anchorage girl’s big idea for a bike race with a cause

Like many 9-year-olds, Merridy Littell likes animals, music, riding her bike and playing on the monkey bars — her self-proclaimed "special talent."

She also thinks up some big ideas.

During a bike ride with her mom last fall, Littell noticed someone smoking and had the epiphany of starting a bike race to raise money to help people quit.

At their next rest stop, Littell and her mom looked up possible programs to donate to and settled on "Not-on-Tobacco" (N-O-T) — an organization that helps teens quit smoking.

And with that, the Race and Puff kids' bike race was underway.

"She literally burst out with that idea," said Allene Whitney, Littell's mom. "Merridy is a very, very adventurous person and she is also enthusiastic.

"When an idea takes a hold of her, she is willing to pursue it."

The race is scheduled for July 15 at Service High and is open to kids ages 3 to 17, although the target range is 3 to 12, said Littell, who will be a fifth-grader at Rogers Park Elementary this fall.

The event will be a lap race. At the end of each lap, racers will blow up a balloon to help signify healthy lungs, Littell said. Younger racers can have a parent or race volunteer help with the balloons.

"If you can blow up a balloon, then you probably have healthy lungs," Littell said. "It doesn't have to be really big. It can just be, like, one breath or something and then they can tie it."

Littell said her first idea was to somehow have kids blow up a balloon while riding a bike, but she decided that might be too dangerous.

Racers will get one raffle ticket per balloon, and at the end of the race prizes will be drawn.

"I want everybody to feel that they won, but still be able to do a race," Littell said. "… Every time they go around the loop they can get a raffle ticket, so everybody has a chance to win a prize."

Most of the ideas and much of the work for the race has been done by Littell, Whitney said.

One of Littell's first steps was pitching the idea to the Anchorage branch of the American Lung Association to ask if it would take donations for N-O-T and if the race could use its logo.

"She was learning to do PowerPoint presentations at school, so on her own she decided to put together a little PowerPoint about her race idea," Whitney said. "Then we took the laptop down and she presented her PowerPoint to Marge Stoneking at the American Lung Association."

She received a positive response.

"They were really like, 'Yes, we would love that,' " Littell said.

Next, Littell presented her idea to different companies around town. So far, Speedway Cycles, Skhoop, The Hoarding Marmot, Chain Reaction Cycles, Classic Toys and Great Harvest Bread Co. are among the companies contributing to the race, mainly by supplying prizes, Whitney said.

The entry fee is $12 per biker and $30 per family, with scholarships available. To sign up, email race.and.puff@gmail.com.

Littell said multiple courses will be set up on race day, so smaller children with balance bikes won't be riding right next to older kids on pedal bikes. Older kids will race around the 1.5-kilometer Randy's Loop and younger kids will ride around the practice field at Service.

When she's not planning a bike race, Littell enjoys learning the drums, riding horses or playing with her family's many animals — three chickens, two dogs, two cats and a tarantula.

Littell has been biking since she was 2. She started on a little balance bike and at age 4 she upgraded to a pedal bike, which she adjusted to quickly.

"It was like 40 seconds and then I was off," Littell said. "I don't remember it much, I just remember the feeling of (Mom) letting go and being confident."

Littell said she hopes to make the Race and Puff an annual event. She said she's hoping for 100 participants, but since this is the first year, it might draw fewer than that.

"It just kind of came together," Littell said. "Once I really have an idea, it's like a puzzle falls together."