Oaklawn Hospitality Classic (Marshall - 2021 - 5K)

 

     Oaklawn Hospitality Classic Photos

.7 Mile Walk

Registration

It’s hard to turn down a hometown run that is walking distance from our house.  My first experience running in Marshall was fresh out of the lock-down on June 13, 2020.  At that time, the Pastrami Joe’s Rueben Race was the first in-person running event I had done in almost three months.  March 21, 2020 to June 13, 2020 was my longest time away from running (all injuries included).  I know many runners went much longer without in-person events during the pandemic. 

The Hospitality Classic was on my mom’s 66th birthday.  I thought it would be a great birthday gift to walk the 5K with her.  After running the idea by her we decided it was a GO! 

I registered my mom, Luke and myself for the 5K.  Luke could decide the day of the event if he wanted to run alone or walk with us.  There was a “HERO” coupon code on the Hospitality Classic’s Facebook page for essential workers.  I put the code in for my mom and it gave all three of us free registration.  The HERO coupon code was suppose to be a discount for essential workers.  The total came to $6.40.  I couldn’t believe it.  I wrote the race director to let her know.  I offered to pay the true price and said I could stop by the hospital anytime.  I have the email I received in my album.  I was totally taken back when the race director thanked me for making her aware of the error and told me not to worry about fixing it.  I will always remember her kindness. 

I wanted to pay my mom’s registration fee as part of her birthday present.  I didn’t get to do that with the coupon code mistake.  That was the part I felt bad about after my underpaying conscious got cleared by the race director.

Registration online had great information.  I especially liked the post-race entertainment section with things to do in Marshall from 12-9pm.  They had a great breakdown of packet pick-up and race day schedules.  I was able to get our three shirts and bibs the night before the race, which is extremely rare for me.

I went to early packet pick-up at Oaklawn Hospital on Friday night.  Packet pick-up on race day was next to the fountain inside the round-about.  There were two large white tents set up.  I got a picture of some of the packet pick-up ladies even though I didn’t need their help.  Past year’s shirts and keychains were for sale at the same location.  

Course:

The Hospitality Classic course had to be re-routed from its annual path due to construction.  Since we had just moved to Marshall, I was not familiar with the regular 5K course and what would be different in 2021.  

The 2021 course started two blocks north of the Brooks Memorial Fountain on North Kalamazoo Street.  We live one mile south of the race start, also off of Kalamazoo Street.  

We headed south and followed the round-about east on Michigan Avenue.  I saw Captain America near the fountain.  I stopped and asked mom if she would take a picture of us.  That’s the great thing about walking a 5K with someone, you have time to stop and someone to take pictures of you with cool things.  After passing by the fountain we went through the entire downtown of Marshall on Michigan Avenue.          

 

We turned onto North Liberty Street from Michigan Avenue and walked around a block square back to Michigan Avenue that took us through downtown a second time!  We avoided the Brooks Fountain round-about as we approached it and took a right on Eagle Street instead which took us to Mansion Street.  We crossed back over Kalamazoo Street between the start and finish of the race next to the Honolulu House.  With the finish line to our left I got to see runners finishing because I was walking this 5K.  It was a cool perspective! 

The rest of the course was through Marshall neighborhoods on N. Lincoln and N. Kalamazoo Streets.  We made a really hard right turn where the two streets intersect.  There were two water aide stations on the west said of Kalamazoo Street.  The course almost made a triangle between the second and third mile and reminded me of New Haven from last weekend.  The diagonal path of N. Kalamazoo Street took us back to where we had started a few blocks north of the fountain with a big yellow finish line arch in sight. 

The two times we walked through downtown Marshall on Michigan Avenue were the best part of the 5K course.  Marshall Police were stationed downtown and on Kalamazoo Street (high traffic intersections) for us.  There were arrows on the ground and volunteers directing us at turns instead of ground signs.  We were able to see Luke running past us near the post office.  Going across Kalamazoo Street gave us early finish line views and took us next to the amazing Honolulu House, like we were taking an outside tour of the building.  I had never been that close.

The course got a lot hillier in the second and third mile after leaving downtown.  There was a lot of course support on the second half of the course.  There were aide stations and random awesome guys being hilarious in driveways…

The finish line was amazing at the Hospitiality Classic.  There was great music, a huge yellow arch to walk under, superheros (Batman, Wonder Woman and Captain America) and a finish line golden retriever laying in the shade under a red truck.  It was a very bright finish line radiating with enthusiasm.  I got to see a bunch of the yellow capped superhero ladies finish right after us and then start line dancing to, “The Cupid Shuffle.”

    

Note:  I haved added Spring 2022 pictures of the last mile of the course from a walk I took.  They are at the end of the album.

Aide Stations:

 There were two aide stations with pre-poured water in small McDonald’s cups.  We were handed cups from the volunteers.  Aide stations had very colorful professional “Hydration Station” signs.  

Both stations had an abundance of friendly volunteers.  We met an awesome bulldog at the first aide station.  The second aide station was playing awesome music. 

  

Swag:

We all received light blue super soft t-shirts with the Hospitality Classic logo.  The logo filled up the entire front of the t-shirt with awesome cartoons of essential workers dressed as superheros.  I washed our shirts Friday night so we could all wear them on the course Saturday.  I love it when races choose ulta soft cotton for their shirts.  I wear my ultra soft cotton and tech race shirts most often.

The Hospitality Classic had amazing, heavy and professionally custom made finisher medals for all participants.  Both the lanyard and medal were custom designed.  The lanyard was bright red with “Oaklawn Hospitality Classic” and each one of the cartoon essential workers separated so we could see them clearly.  The actual medal was red, white and blue with the event name in its fun bubbly font. 

 

Restrooms:

 

I did not see Porta-Johns anywhere near the fountain where the center of activity was for the Hospitiality Classic.  I hope I didn’t miss them.  A few stores were open in Marshall by the time we finished but it’s awkward to use store bathrooms unless I am purchasing something.  After reviewing my pictures, I still did not see any bathrooms setup for the event which surprised me. 

 

Food:

Post-race food was setup under the large white tents at the fountain.  The first long table had tons of full size water bottles and something I’ve never received before and don’t expect to receive again….

Cold packs!!

The cold packs in the summer heat were AMAZING!!  All three of us used them immediately on our necks.  It was a nice touch to have the cold packs for participants since Oaklawn Hospital put on the event.  It was a very hospital-like touch. 

 

The 2019 Road Runner’s Classic at Maybury State Park had cool towels at the finish for participants, but we had to return them before we left.  It was awesome, but not the same as Oaklawn giving out cold packs for us to take.  The Battle Creek Half Marathon gave participants wet towels on the course.  Those three races are the only runs I have received cooling aides from. 

On a second table there were tons of bunches of bananas and Gala apples in opened bags we could reach in and grab.   

 

Note: Even though I discussed the cold packs in this “Food” section, I will be adding them to the “Swag” rating category at the end of this write-up.

Awards:

I saw what looked like overall awards in past year’s pictures from the Oaklawn Hospitality Classic’s Facebook page.  I did not see any kind of awards set up on a table the day of the event and registration did not mention awards being given out.  I think Oaklawn wanted to emphasize health and wellness and stray away from the competitive nature of runs.  The goal was for the 2021 Hospitiality Classic to be a strong community event where people could have a great time exercising.  For that reason, I will be giving an N/A rating for the “Awards” category.  I don’t believe it would be fair to rate them poorly in this situation. 

Timing:

I didn’t recognize the timing company at the Oaklawn Hospitality Classic.  It was not a chip timed race.  Instead, gun timing was used.  All participants started at the same time without a timing mat to cross over.  We finished on timing mats with a clock setup.  The timing man had his equipment propped on his truck bed next to the finish arch.  He had a Golden Retreiver next to him, laying under his truck on the cooler shaded concrete.  I did not see a company logo or sign on the truck or arch.  I did not like the un-timed gun start.  It’s always been a personal opinion of mine that races should be chip timed.  I am glad mom and I got official results because it was her first 5K.  The timing company was setup very professionally at the finish and I love the personal touch with the dog.

City Notes:

 We’ve lived in Marshall for five months now.  I can write about the city with a little more knowledge than I had before.  The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Marshall are all the things Marshall has that no other city in the state of Michigan has which include:

-         The second largest Postal Service Museum in the country.

-         The second oldest operating cemetery in Michigan (Oakridge)

-         Runner up for Michigan’s state Capitol pick of 1847.

-         Underground Railroad and hide-aways for slaves in the 1840’s later to become a Speakeasy during the 1920’s.

-         Oldest operating Inn in Michigan (The National House Inn 1835)

-         Last remaining K-Mart in the state of Michigan (Closed November 2021)

Photo By: Patman Droneography

(https://www.patmandroneography.com/)

Marshall is rich in Michigan and U.S. history and paranormal activity…if you believe in the spirt world.  (I do.)  Brian Mason’s book “Haunted Marshall” is a great way to get acquainted with the most well known Marshall haunts.  

Marshall is home to Schuler’s Restaurant and the Stagecoach Inn Restaurant.   We have been to both.  We get fresh bread from Schuler’s regularly.  Schuler’s has amazing food.  Their meatballs are the best meatballs I’ve ever had at a restaurant.  I love Schuler’s ambiance, décor and pewter dinnerware.

Marshall is home to the Hi-Lite Drive-in that opens in the Spring and Summer and a fantastic homemade ice cream shop, True North Ice Cream that has some incredibly unique ice cream flavors.  My favorites are apple pie and mango sorbet. 

I frequently run through Oakridge Cemetery.  I love running there.  The main cemetery entrance is 1.5 miles from our house  It’s peaceful.  I always see new gravestones.  Oakridge’s older section of graves are especially beautiful to admire with densely shaded areas.  With 65 acres of land I can get tons of mileage weaving through or at the very least, a solid mile circling around the cemetery’s outer borders. 

The Brooks’s Memorial Fountain is a staple of Marshall.  Whenever we come home at night we can see its lights from a distance.  That’s how we know we are home.  During Christmas a Nativity scene is put on top of the fountain.  It was built in 1930 to resemble the “Temple of Love” in France.

The mighty 130 mile long Kalamazoo River runs through southern Marshall.  It is a hot spot for kayaks and fishermen which we see come through daily in the Spring and Summer.  Sundays are the most active river days.  

The Marshall River Walk was built along 1.6 miles of the Kalamazoo River as part of the massive 4,800 mile North Country Trail that passes through eight states from Vermont to North Dakota.  The North Country Trail cuts through the entire lower and upper peninsula of Michigan, ten national forests, 100 state parks! 

 If I was feeling “ultra-ly”…I could leave my house from our backyard and get to North Dakota months later. ^_^

(https://northcountrytrail.org/the-trail/explore-the-trail/)

Dark Horse Brewery is our neighbor and has its foundation here on Pearl Street in Marshall.  Dark Horse has had rough financial times like Jason and I but it has prevailed because it’s owners knew it had something great to give to the world from its humble beginnings in a U.P dorm room.

Dark Horse Brewery has a very unique indoor seating area with ceramic mugs lining every square inch of the ceiling, signatures and small pictures drawn on the walls everywhere else and business cards, lucky dollar bills and notes stuffed under their acrylic table tops.  It is a place to leave your mark.  Ceramic mugs are picked up by their owners based on numners on the bottoms.  We had to scoot over three times on our first visit as people came to grab their mugs. 

I want to be remembered like Dark Horse Beer

 ….long after the first swig. 

City Sign:

After the Pastrami Joe’s Rueben Race I found a beautiful “Welcome to Marshall” mural on the side of a building  downtown.  The mural serves as a great welcome sign as you are entering Marshall’s downtown business district on Michigan Avenue.  You can see it from the fountain.

Marshall has four beautiful green city signs stationed at each direction entering the city.  They are not huge or super fancy.  I love that you can find them entering from any direction and they are kept up by the city.  I like that Marshall made their city signs personable by going beyond…

“Welcome to Marshall”

…and insteading writing,

“The historic people of Marshall welcome you and await your return,” respectively on the front and back. 

Other Awesomeness:

The biggest thing in the “Awesomeness” category for the Hospitality Classic was my mom’s 66th birthday falling on the event day.  She was skpetical about doing her first 5K but everything worked out great.  The weather was amazing and she really enjoyed herself.  The shirt and finisher medal were an added birthday bonus.  We finished walking the 5K just minutes under an hour, which was the goal we had set for ourselves.  The MC near the timing belt thought mom’s 5K accomplishment was amazing and told her she didn’t look a day over 36.  We celebrated with Sean and mom back at our house with cakes before they left to go do other great birthday things. 

My mom has been in nursing for 46 years.  She got a Diploma in Nursing from the Henry Ford School of Nursing in 1976, Bachelor's in Nursing at Madonna University in 1984, Master's in Nursing at Wayne State University in 1992 and Doctorate in Nursing from the University of Michigan in 2016. 

Her first job was at Oakwood's Maternity Center in Dearborn. She started in Cardiology in 1978 at Henry Ford soon becoming a nurse manager.  She's currently a Nurse Practitioner at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. 

My mom has an immense passion for nursing. She's written more publications in medical journals then I can count.  She has traveled around the country giving presentations advocating for and promoting healthy lifestyles. I've gone with her on a number of her trips. For decades she taught ACLS & BLS courses teaching life saving strategies to thousands of people. 

My mom's strong work ethic and passion for bettering people's lives is a huge reason why I try to live a healthy lifestyle.  She makes an impression on every person she meets. She's a nurse that truly cares about her patient's well being and future, and they know it when she walks into a room. 

This 5K honored people like my mom who have dedicated their lives to helping save the lives of others...

....and, what better day then her birthday. 

We got to see Batman, Captain America and Wonder Woman!  Will was so excited to see Batman in person he got real nervous and didn’t know what to say.  They had superheros come and cheer on the real life heros as they crossed the Hospitality Classic finish line.  It was a great addition to the race!

We attempted to walk around downtown Marshall to see the activities going on after the race but we were a little early and missed all of them.  I wanted to see Darren McCarty but I got tired after mom and Sean left and forgot to go back downtown.  It was nice there were things to do that afternoon in Marshall following the race.  We got a lot of garden fruit and veggies harvested and cooked a homemade meatloaf for dinner with wholesome sides. 

Course Rating:  4.4 Stars

Post-Race Food Rating:  4 Stars

Swag Rating:  5 Stars

Awards Rating:  N/A Stars

Race Execution:  4.9 Stars

Restroom Rating:  3 Stars

Aide Stations:   5 Stars

     Timing Company: 4.5 Stars

Post-Race Activities:  4.5 Stars

 

Hospitality Classic Quote:

“Life’s tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.”

-         Benjamin Franklin.

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