Springfield woman, 74, rides 238-mile Katy Trail on $89 Wal-Mart bike | News-Leader

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It wasn't on her bucket list — it was a friend's goal to ride the entire 238-mile length of the Katy Trail on a bicycle.

But Springfield resident LaWanka Mallard was game to give it a try.

All she needed was a bike.

"I bought a bike eight years ago, a 10-speed, but I got so frustrated with the gears," Mallard recalled. "So I decided to go to Wal-Mart and buy an old-fashioned single-speed bike with no gears. They had several models, but I bought the one with the biggest seat. I liked the foot brake, too, instead of brakes on the handles."

So, at the age of 74, Mallard and bike friend Vickie Elliott, age 63, set out from Clinton on Sept. 17 and started pedaling east on the crushed-gravel Katy Trail, a reclaimed former railroad track.

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Springfield woman, 74, rides 238-mile Katy Trail on $89 Wal-Mart bike | News-Leader