BIG BIRD RUN (Roseville - 2019 - 4K)
38 Mile Drive
I am really glad I was able to attend the 2019 Roseville Big Bird Run. I knew the Belle Isle New Year’s Family Fun Run was the longest ongoing run in the state of Michigan. I was shocked when I saw “41st annual” on The Big Bird Run’s registration website. The Big Bird Run is one of the longest runs in Michigan right in line with Belle Isle, which is celebrating its 50th year this December! I’m so excited to be back for that. I like finding runs that have been happening for a long time.
We parked at the Roseville Costco and the walk to packet pick-up was a lot longer due to the Roseville Costco’s fortress of cinderblock walls around the entire building. Our van and the start line were separated by the six foot tall wall. It was irony at its best. On my way to the fitness center I met a man named Mike and through our conversation discovered he qualifies to be a running twin. 1. We both show up to runs with typically less than 10 minutes to spare until race start. 2. We’ve both run three half marathons. 3. We’ve both gotten lost on a course. His “off-coursing” story was more epic than mine at the Detroit Free Press the year four people collapsed. 4. We’ve both done a 5K every weekend for the last year! Mike lost 150 pounds eight years ago and runs to stay healthy and keep himself motivated.
In the corral to start Mike asked me what time I usually run. I told him 8:40, but that it varied depending how I felt. He told me his pace was around 9:00 minutes. He ran right behind me, finishing literally seconds after I crossed the finish!! It was awesome. Mike said he tried to stay with me and thanked me for helping him. I ran an 8:30 pace for the first time in months. I ran faster knowing the course was shorter. That was the trick this time. This was my first 4K. It was a great length considering I had two races this weekend.
I loved The Big Bird Run’s turkey, gift card and hoodie raffle at the end of the race. I think the Big Bird Run is exceptionally unique for giving out awesome Butterball turkeys. It is their staple. All runs should have something unique to their race, participants remember those things.
I thought Big Bird's age groups were really interesting. They started with the youngest male and female awards and then skipped to the oldest age group awards for male and female. They continued to jump back and forth until they reached the middle age groups last instead of going from youngest to oldest or oldest to youngest. I have never seen awards announced like that before. My heart sank when I heard the announcer call out 21-34 for my age group. I ran faster than normal and thought I did good but that age range immediately made me think my chances were over. I cannot complete with speedy 21 year-olds. The announcer called third place and that solidified it for me. The best I can do in tough larger age groups is place third. I love third place. It’s my favorite age group placing because third place means you just made the cut-off to get an award by a thin line. Third means I wasn’t the best, but I was still good. That’s how I think of myself as a runner overall, just good, but not great. Miraculously, my name was called for second place!! I say a lot that I am in shock at award ceremonies, but I genuinely mean it. Today was a solid 10 on the scale of shock. Had I been third I would have gotten a lunchbox. I would have loved that lunchbox but with how I feel about runs without finisher medals the medal was better.
On a tiny negative note, the runners on the course were very interesting. I wasn’t a huge fan of a few. At the Burton Memorial Day Run I was trailing feet behind three women approaching the finish line with Jason screaming, “You can do it!!” (…I couldn’t do it) This time I found myself behind two women with the finish line in sight and had the strength to pass them. I had seen them earlier on the course and admired their chicken hats. I took pictures because they were awesome. As I passed one of the women the other started yelling at her friend, “Go faster, Go faster!!!” That made me really anxious. I honestly would have let her pass me but with the finish only 50 feet away the friend changed her casual “Go faster” motivation to, “BEAT HER….BEAT HER!!!!” That rubbed me the wrong way. I would never scream that on a course. I decided at that moment to pull all the strength from inside and kick it into high gear. I don’t like competitively running like that, but I also don’t think, “BEAT HER!” was necessary. She was so loud finish line spectators could hear her. The women were not in my age group. In addition to the super competitive chicken hat women, a marathoner yelled at me for running outside of the cones on the street. There were nicer ways he could have said what he said. I was hugging the white line and running to the right of cones they put out due to tight spacing with other runners. I didn’t stay out long. I also did not go out of the cones on Gratiot Avenue. It was not near active traffic, it was in a neighborhood. In conclusion, I got screamed at a lot during this race.
Thank goodness for wonderful Mike who I again caught up with after the race and chatted with, for the wonderful saxophone player and my family’s smiling faces. I am very thankful for the Roseville Police. This course had areas right on Gratiot Avenue. We needed cops to keep us safe while we passed intersections with heavy traffic.
Things I take away from The Big Bird Run are: 1. Meeting Mike. I hope I get to see him at more runs since we both run a lot. 2. Getting the coolest super hardy Hanson’s running gloves that I wish I could have two pairs of. The material is very unique. 3. Participating in an older Michigan run that's been going on for so many years in the state. 4. A high school student playing the saxophone at the finish line. I got two videos of him! He was amazing serenading us. I have never heard a brass instrument so beautifully welcome runners back after a race.
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