NEWSPAPERS n o i t i d E l a i c e p S
Bloomfield Hills High School alumnus completes Great World Race BY MARY GENSON
This year, there were 60 runners from all over the world including those from Canada, Ireland, Australia and Italy.
mgenson@candgnews.com
BLOOMFIELD HILLS — In just seven days, Bloomfield Hills High School alumnus Merrick Chernett ran seven marathons in seven continents. At the age of 18, Chernett is the youngest person to complete the Great World Race.
What is the Great World Race?
The Great World Race provides the challenge of running seven marathons in seven days on seven continents. The series of races, held Nov. 14-20, kicked off in Wolf ’s Fang, Antarctica. He then traveled to Cape Town in Africa, Perth in Australia, Istanbul in Asia, Istanbul in Europe, Cartagena in South America and Miami in North America to compete in the remainder of the races. The race is organized by Ice Cap Adventures Ltd. and partners with experts from the race venues in each continent.
JANUARY 1, 2025 candgnews.com Oakland County papers
Merrick Chernett is the youngest person to compete in the Great World Race.
Photo provided by Merrick Chernett
The commitment
To complete a feat such as the Great World Race, rigorous training is necessary. Chernett was running 100 miles a week to prepare, reaching the point of running 20 miles a day for six consecutive days. In order to travel from continent to continent, the racers all rode together on the Rolling Stones’ old tour plane. Racers ate meals on the plane in between races, and for Chernett, he spent some of his time in between races on schoolwork. Chernett is now a student at the University of Michigan. He is a freshman studying business at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business. While some of his work was excused during the two weeks he was away from school for the race, not every professor gave
Wilkinson students raise endangered fish, learn conservation BY ANDY KOZLOWSKI akozlowski@candgnews.com
MADISON HEIGHTS — The lake sturgeon is among the oldest and largest native species of fish in the Great Lakes — living up to 150 years, reaching lengths of more than 6 feet, and weighing more than 200 pounds when fully grown. They’re also nearly extinct, leading to efforts to raise them in captivity so they can once again thrive in Michigan’s waters. A juvenile specimen is currently being raised in the classroom of Laura Shultz, a teacher at Wilkinson Middle School in the Madison District Public Schools. “The sturgeon has been around since the time of the dinosaurs. See STURGEON on page 6A
See RACE on page 4A
Laura Shultz, a teacher at Wilkinson Middle School, shows off “Spike,” the lake sturgeon she and her students are raising for release into the wild. The effort is part of a program through the state that aims to restore the endangered species. Photo by Patricia O’Blenes