Motor City Striders
- By Doug Kurtis
Free Press Columnist

Motor City Strider President Ed Kozloff and his wife Sue have announced their decision to retire from the club, discontinue its races and shut down it membership. Ed has served as President of the Striders since 1975.

The Striders are still one of the largest clubs in Michigan with over 500 members. At one time, the club had more than 1,300 runners and volunteers.

At its zenith the club helped organize more than thirty races a year.   Over the past five years that number has dwindled to fifteen.   The hefty schedule must have had its wear and tear on the small core of Striders that worked many of the races. One major event, the Heart of the Hills in Bloomfield was cancelled this year and two others on the Strider schedule were taken over by organizers outside of the club.

The Kozloff's have been tireless supporters of running events in the Detroit area. They have been connected to some of the largest events in the state such as the Detroit Free Press Flagstar Bank Marathon, Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot and Detroit's Race for the Cure.

The Motor City Striders had been in existence since 1959 and been served by just three presidents.   The Kozloff's worked on an average of two dozens races a year and were instrumental in introducing wheelchair contestants, age group categories and all female races. The club also hosted numerous low key races that introduced people to running.

A three year search by board members found no one interested in replacing the Kozloff's and taking over some of the Strider races. Members were just notified by newsletter this month that the club would no longer be taking on new applicants.   Several members I interviewed felt sad by the Kozloff's decision; however, they said they might challenge the decision to discontinue the Striders as a running club.  

Other race directors in the area commented that the Striders were seen more as a race directing company and noted that at annual Strider elections officers usually ran unopposed.

Several club members, who chose to remain anonymous, suggested that the Striders should start over with a new agenda. They recommended the club continue with its volunteer base to help new organizers take over races like the St. Patty's Day Run and also create other activities to give opportunities for the membership become a more cohesive group.

Many of the movers and shakers of the Detroit's running community see tremendous potential in keeping the Strider nameplate alive.   They are willing to lend support to giving the club a new direction that would create a synergy between the running stores, local clubs, race organizations and running community.

Other major cities like Indianapolis, New York and Atlanta have huge running club organizations that offer a variety of opportunities for runners to organize outside of race events. These clubs produce some of the biggest races in the country such as the Peachtree 10km and New York City Marathon. The Indy Runners have three or four club runs a week and many social events for runners to meet plus coaching opportunities.

Now is the time for runners to speak up and rescue the Striders before the club reaches a place of no return.