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Mar 17, 2008
Corktown's 26th Annual Run and Parade
By Doug Kurtis :: Views- 2539
St. Patrick’s Parade Corktown Races will celebrate 26 years of great fun and running this Sunday at noon. It is the largest winter race in Michigan. Over 2000 runners and walkers are expected to participate in the four mile run and 1.5 mile walk before joining this year’s 50th annual St. Patrick’s Parade.
The Fraternal Order of United Irishmen along with race directors Greg Everal and Doug Kurtis (my disclaimer) expect to keep last year’s momentum going when all participant records were broken. Over 1,000 runners have already pre-registered. The exciting course starts on Michigan Avenue in front of old Tiger Stadium, loops around Campus Martius and heads north in front of Comerica Park and the Fox Theatre. It returns the same way, coming back along the Parade route but heads past the reviewing stand in front of the Gaelic League to finish in Roosevelt Park in front of the old Michigan Central train station. After the race, participants can walk back along Michigan to see the floats, marching units, novelty groups and piping bands before they reach the reviewing stands. Last year over 400 cans of food were donated by runners to benefit the St. Patrick's Senior Center in Detroit to help aid their food programs. Once again runners are requested to bring a can of food or more to the registration area. The costume contest is still alive and well. Official starter Ed Kozloff, President of the Motor City Striders, and his staff will select the top three winners just before the race starts. The noon start for the main races will insure that participants get to the St. Patrick’s Parade on time. The kid’s quarter mile run begins at 11:30 am. The will be plenty refreshments provided including offerings from the Motor City Brewing Works. 2007 first pub team winner, Mexican Jones is expected to defend title. Local pubs can sign up as many participants or teams as they want but only two will score from each. All female, male or mixed teams are eligible for prizes. DJ, Mark Cotter will be back spinning the Irish tunes at the finish line tent. Race entrants are expected to join the St. Patrick's Parade spectators on Michigan Avenue at 2 pm. The Downtown Runners and Walkers and the Motor City Striders are returning as co-hosts. Both running clubs provide much needed volunteers for registration, marshals and the finish area. Everal Race management will score the event. Five year age groups begin at age 5 and every five years thereafter. Beer pitchers with green strobe lights will be awarded to the top fifty male and female overall and anyone over the age of 70. Results will be posted at the finish line and on-line at: www.everalracemgt.com/results Want to register early and pick up your race packet? Registration is available at Total Runner in Southfield at 12 Mile and Northwestern. Race sponsor Mizuno will hold a Mizuno Day at the store this Saturday. Try on a pair of their shoes and receive a fee T shirt. More information and on-line registration is available at: www.downtownrunners.com/corktownraces.htm or contact Total Runner at 248.354.1177. Comments: Why was the race so disorganized this year? People who picked up their packets on Friday still had to wait in line for their chips. I also hear many complaints that people who pre-registered didn't get t-shirts. Race was fun this year This was my third year running and despite the event always being fun, it seems to be perennially disorganized. Never enough tshirts, this year they ran out of chips, and only having 3 porta-potties for well over 2000 runners was ridiculous. 15 minutes before race time there were still huge lines for bathrooms and registration. I ran the race and so did two of my four sons. Had a great time!!!. At 12:00noon I was still in line for a porta-pottie. I had been in line for 35 minutes. So next year increase the number 10 fold. Also a pad at the start to get our actual running times would be good. I will be back in 2009. Yes MORE potties!!!!!!! Too many runners for three potties....also more beer and oranges- ran out of thoes too. : ) My sisters and I have been running this race for many years, and I'm sure we'll continue to run it for many more, but I do agree with the comments posted about disorganization. Two of my crew did not get shirts this year, and none of us got the right size shirts even though all of us were preregistered. Picking up your number at Corktown adds a stressful element to an otherwise very festive race! This was my first time running this race. I had fun, but was disappointed that there was not a pad at the start line. Once again, my son and I were preregistered and did not get the right size shirts. I guess that is better then last year when I did'nt get a shirt. I haven't ran this race in about 6 years but from the races I ran back then (3 back to back) the participant numbers were way smaller. Perhaps its just growing pains? Disorganized with 3 portajohns. Picking up race trips for pre-registrants was just stupid. There was no line for picking up chips, so you waited in one line to find out they were handing chips out 5 lines over. No signs. Nothing. If you pre-registered and went to the store sometime the week before the race, you had no problem getting the t-shirt. The scenery was great. Old Tiger Stadium to Comerica Park. I had to wait over at the Subway to use their bathroom...at least it was warmer than waiting in the line for teh 3 porta johns! They race was delayed 10 min because so many people were standing in lines! I waited for 50 min to go to the bathroom and then literally ran out the door and through the start line because the race already started! I coordinate races and know better than to have 3 porta johns... The race is always fun! Keep them going, I know how hard they are to organize. This was my first year, and I believe that it was the organizers first race as well. WTF? 3 porta johns!!!!That makes no sense at all. You've got people trying to hydrate before a race (h2o) and then 30 degree weather. Whoever failed at planning this, I will handle it next year. I hope all of the money was donated to a good cause because if you proffited from that poor performance you should be banned from the sport. Even Mayor Kwame could have handled that, and he's the worst. Get it together or get out of the way. Eric Where are the race photos? Things gone wrong were: (1) only 3 porta-johns for over 1000+ people (2) no shirts for those that did not pre-register, but showed up 2 hours before event (still charged $20), and (3) no beer left at end. This was the first time I ran the race and thought it was the most disorganized race I have ever ran. My apologizes to those that registered early and didn’t pick up a t shirt. They will be mailed out this week. Our race had a 43% jump in participation. More than half of our field registered the week of the race. We were overwhelmed at the registration area. When is the 2009 race? The website link only has 2008 on there. I ran it for the first time this year, and had a great time. I am a casual jogger, and this was the biggest race I've run in in a long time. My girlfriend and I registered 30 mins before the race, and that went fine. We didn't get a t-shirt, but given waiting until the morning of, that can't be completely unexpected. There was a row of about 8 or 10 red porta potties. I think part of any issues may be that the Free Press reported that there were 2,000 participants last year and 3,500 participants this year. 
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