Dexter Ann Arbor Run
- By Doug Kurtis
Free Press Columnist

The Dexter-Ann Arbor Run continues its road to success this Sunday at 8:20 am. This will be the 33rd running of one of Michigan's most popular events.

Since taking over the event four years ago, director Lew Kidder reversed a trend of declining participation and pushed attendance to progressively higher levels. More than 6,000 runners are expected to cross one of the 5km, 10km or half-marathon finish lines in the 2006 edition.

Additionally, hundreds of kids from two to twelve-years-old will round the Ann Arbor Pioneer track on Saturday afternoon. Distances of 50 to 800 meters are paired to their age.   Participants in the adult race can pick up their packets at the adjacent expo from 2-6 pm.

Dexter-Ann Arbor is a multifaceted event. Runners can stick around and be part of the Taste of Ann Arbor Festival that begins at 11 am on Sunday. The celebration of cuisine from Ann Arbor's restaurant row shares its distinctive bite-sized portions in a festival setting. Bands, comedians, clowns and dancers perform on three separate stages.

This year the run has decided to get serious about its on-course entertainment. DAA music director Whitney Hill has announced a line-up that includes an Elvis impersonator, The Themagains from Dexter High School, classic cellist Diane L. Winder, Jazz to Order (from MSU), folk country group Annie Capps Trio, WEI, Sacred Song, and an all-woman drumming ensemble called the Repercussions.

The run has also joined the Champions for Children Campaign in their quest to fund construction of a new C.S. Mott Children's hospital. Ex-U of Michigan and pro football star Tyrone Wheatley serves as this year's honorary chair and invites people to walk with the 5K with him in support of the effort.

This year's 10km has been revised due to possible restoration of the East Delhi iron bridge. Engineers were concerned about the safety of hundreds of runners crossing over it. Staging will now be done on the north side of the Huron River at Delhi Road.

Almost forty buses from U of M and Ann Arbor public schools are needed to get the runners to three different starting areas. Free bus service is available from downtown (corner of Ashley and Ann) from 6:00 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. Sweats can be left at the starting areas and retrieved near the finish line.

Dexter is one of the few races with a detailed history of its age records. Runners can look at course records for every age at each distance on www.dexterannarborrun.com . Bonus prize money for both overall and age group course records encourage some of the state's best runners to come back every year.

Some outstanding times include overall half-marathon course records by Scott Fry 1:03:52 and Laurel Park 1:14:56. In the 10km, Mindy Schmidt and John Sherer easily outdistance their competitors with times of 33:24 and 28:40 respectively. Monica Joyce ran a superb 17:18 at age 39 to put her at the top of the 5km list. Joshua Mourer is the best performing male with a 14:58 5km.

Contact Doug Kurtis at Detroit Free Press, 600 W. Fort St. Detroit, 48226