If You Build It... They Will Run

“Why aren’t there any races out here?”

For decades, endorphin-fueled runners have been asking this on the sacred dirt roads in North Ann Arbor. What makes it so special? Lush green landscapes, rolling dirt roads, countless deer, buffalo, and towering, rustic red barns. Couple this postcard scenery with peace that comes with hardly any cars on the road, and you’ve reached runner nirvana.

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After a full year with virtually zero racing (pun intended), our team decided to fill this void in the marketplace. We landed on our relay concept for a few reasons.

  1. What better way to celebrate being able to safely run in groups than a relay race?

  2. Some of these segments are tough. Can you imagine running up Tubbs as part of a half or full marathon??

  3. We LOVED the image of packs of runners surrounded by flamingos, waving cowbells, cheering on relay runners at dirt road intersections.

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With 17 days to go, we have a course that runners will love, and a concept that we know will be fun as hell. As confident as we are, launching a new race is always a leap of faith. In two months, our team has drafted nine routes, spent a combined 21 hours running on the course, built a website and registration platform from scratch, recruited volunteers, and spent way too much on flamingo-centric supplies.

As we anxiously wait for runners to sign up, there’s also a relief knowing that the following is on order or has already arrived:

  • turn signs

  • race bibs / RFID chips

  • lawn flamingos

  • cowbells

  • A2ZUKEY stickers

  • yellow vests for crossing guards

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Despite being able to confidently say “this is not my first rodeo,” there is something unnerving about being 17 days away, and having so many vacant registration spots. When that doubt creeps in, we’ve kept morale high by reminding ourselves of the dozens of teams we personally know that are either procrastinating or strategizing before signing up.

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If nothing else, the next time a newbie runner asks “why aren’t there any races out here?” someone will be able to say “Have you heard of A2ZUKEY Relay?”

See you on June 12.

Brent McDermott