Origin Story

Talking to runners this spring about A2ZUKEY, I keep getting the same question…

Where did the idea for A2ZUKEY come from?

Well, here’s how it happened…

May 2015
Two years after moving to Ann Arbor, I wandered into the dirt roads beyond Barton Hills, and fell in love 😍

July 2017
My friends and I put together a 16 mile point-to-point long run on dirt, complete with turn signs, water stations, Gatorade, and a shuttle back to town. On the drive home, someone asked "what if we turned this into a race?"

October 2019
Fueled by an excessive amount of Roos Roast coffee, Nick Stanko and I hatch up the idea of hosting "small batch" races for our friends in the local running community. For about 3 hours, we spitball new race concepts, all focused on scenic courses our friends would love.

March 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic puts all in-person races on hold 😷

March 2021
With news of an approved vaccine on the horizon, Nick and I recruited about a half dozen friends to help plan a team relay race to celebrate the return of group running. Inspired by events like GLR and Dances With Dirt, A2ZUKEY was born 🦩

April 2021
15+ courses drafted, 191 group emails exchanged, and the A2ZUKEY crew ran / biked over 130 miles on the course 🏃🏻‍♀️🚴‍♂️

May 2021
Runners from M-RUN, PR Run Club, Ann Arbor Track Club, Ann Arbor Tri Club, Parker Performance, Woodward Track Club, AA Next Level, and Bad Decisions Track Club all banded together to help plan the race.

June 2021
57 teams ran the first A2ZUKEY Relay. New friendships were forged, with hundreds of runners taking on these majestic dirt roads for the first time. The verdict? A2ZUKEY is an instant classic 🦩

May 2022
15 spots remain for A2ZUKEY 2022 on June 11.