Odds + ends for my running friends

The new Piper Glen location of Run For Your Life is set to open its doors for a "soft opening" on Monday, says RFYL owner Tim Rhodes.

Notable amenities at the new store, in the Piper Glen Shopping Center at 6418 Rea Road, include: a children’s play area; personalized wardrobe consulting services for women; and lockers in which to keep valuables if you'd like to run on nearby Four Mile Creek Greenway (only available during regular store hours).

Rhodes does warn that runners using the greenway should "remember parking is limited, so park on Bevington. The landlord has instituted a towing policy for those parking in the center but not shopping. If you are coming to visit us at Run For Your Life, please feel free to use either the front or rear parking lot."

The current RFYL Stonecrest location, at 7868 Rea Road, will be open after today's Shamrock 4 Miler, till 5 p.m., then closes permanently. The new store, which is just 1.4 miles to the north, will celebrate its official grand opening on April 3.

UPCOMING RACES

The Buck Hurley Triathlon Challenge, set for Sunday, April 18, features a sprint triathlon (300-yard pool swim, 10-mile bike, 5K run); a super sprint triathlon (200-yard pool swim, 5K bike, 2-mile run); and a kids triathlon (25-yard pool swim, half-mile bike, 220-meter run). All three events start at the J.F. Hurley YMCA, 828 Jake Alexander Blvd. West, in Salisbury. The kids tri takes place entirely on YMCA property. All proceeds go to the Y's Invest in Youth program, which provides for kids whose families cannot afford the Y's sports and other programs. Cost is $35 for the sprint or super sprint, $10 for the kids tri. Of note: Everyone gets a dri-fit shirt and lots of food. ... The award medals are being made by Ashworth Awards, the supplier to most of the country's major marathons. ... There will be a short church service between events. ... Buck Hurley was the son of Caroline and Gordon Hurley; he died "much too young, due to illness." ... Race director Ester Marsh says more than 70 people are registered across all three events, and that they can handle 250 athletes. To register: Click here.

The Jetton Park Triathlon is set for 8 a.m. Saturday, May 8, at -- you guessed it -- Jetton Park in Cornelius (19000 Jetton Road). The second annual event consists of a 750-yard swim, a 20-kilometer bike ride, and a five-kilometer run. Says race director Sheila Wakeman: "The swim will be in a protected cove of Lake Norman, the bike will carry athletes along the rolling hills of Jetton Road, and the five-kilometer run will showcase the beauty of the park." Proceeds from the event will benefit Ace & TJ's Grin Kids and the Levine & Dickson Hospice House. Online registration will close May 5; the race will be capped at 500 participants. The race Web site is here.

ALSO WORTH NOTING: Online registration for the AJC Peachtree Road Race 2010 will open at 1 p.m. on Sunday (possibly creating an inconvenience for runners participating in the Atlanta, Tobacco Road, Shamrock or other marathons across the region). Later this spring, 10,000 of the 55,000 total entrants will be selected via mail-in lottery. The Peachtree Web site is here.