A dash of whimsy and a cup of creativity are just two of the ingredients listed in this tasty recipe for Marathon delight! When you blend in Gazelle Sports brand new sponsorship of the 2007 Grand Rapids Marathon, a strong Kalamazoo Area Runners presence at last year’s event (including the roaming club banner thanks to Andy Boris’ mom), the introduction of a savory local flavor and the Chicago Marathon closing oh ever so early, changing the Safari’s vacation destination to the Grand Rapids Marathon made good common sense….and lots of it!As attractive as the allure of the big city and the Chicago Marathon are, there is undeniably a whole lot to love about the creative concoction that makes up the Grand Rapids Marathon!
For starters, it is exceptionally kind to your wallet and let’s face it, with the rising fuel costs, we could all use some financial incentive. While there is always a certain vacation destination air to booking a hotel room and making a “Marathon Weekend” out of it, the close proximity easily allows the option of driving up the morning of, eliminating costly hotel expenses. The registration fee of $60 (if registered by June 30) is a bargain relative to the hefty price tag associated with big city marathons. The start and finish location at the Grand Rapids YMCA offers convenience, an abundance of free parking, and yes, even showers!
You know you’re in for something quite out of the ordinary from the moment you line up at the start and locate your celebrity pace team whether it be the 3:44 George W’s Running Mates, the 4:14 P. Diddy Pacers or the 3:29 Billy Baldwin Racers.
The Boston qualifying course is flat, fast, and travels through several beautiful rural sections. You will find yourself meandering through a park, along a tree lined river and on a paved bike path. Several sections, including some along the path, are out and back enabling you to cheer on and encourage your fellow running friends several times. The course logistics make it easy for spectators to cheer runners on from multiple points. The aid stations are plentiful, whimsical and sometimes downright hysterical. Volunteers can be found playing up the Halloween theme in full costume and props, handing out gummy bears, and yes, the rumor is true, even distributing cups of pickle juice if you can stomach it!
Add to that regular and sometimes humorous marathon communication updates, attractive long sleeve technical shirts you can actually wear running and don’t have to pay extra for, a party at the end and very cool finisher medals and you have the makings of a winner. You wouldn’t expect anything less than extraordinary from founder and Race Director Don Kern, who is quite accustomed to pulling off the rather unusual. His most recent adventure was an attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Records by running 7 marathons on 7 continents in 35 days. Although someone beat him to the record by doing it in 31, he finished the journey. In between his adventures, Don takes the time to get to know everyone by name, and become not only an organizer, but an adoring fan who extends a warm welcome to everyone who becomes a part of the Grand Rapids Marathon. Find out more and register at Grand Rapids Marathon and get ready to begin the adventure of a lifetime.
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Check out a slideshow here!
