Burton Hot Fudge Run (Burton - 2023 - 5K)
The Burton Race Series is my all-time favorite race series thus far in the state of Michigan. There is something about the small town (small compared to its sister city Flint) and its run series.
The Burton Race Series is not simply four runs scattered through the year, it’s an experience when it comes to participants and volunteers I’ve met, things I’ve gotten and activities my family has done. The series has always gone the extra mile when it comes to post-race food and swag given to its participants. The series gives awards to walking divisions at each of their races.
What started
with age group awards, shirts and an amazing series finisher medal has since additionally
introduced finisher medals at all four of their races. I’ve always felt an immense amount of heart
whenever I am at a Burton race. I
remember not popping up in the registration system at my last Veteran’s Day run
before I stopped running in Burton.
Amber Shaw added me
in without charging me. She assumed it
was something wrong on their end and she knew I was a frequent participant. It was an amazing gesture of kindness I have
never forgotten.
Registration:
I decided to return to Burton in early February this year, just weeks before the Hot Fudge 5K. I had thought about the Burton Race Series when it came to the 2023 year of revisiting favorite races, but I knew Burton would be much harder to travel to four times than a one time memorable race. It was the 2023 race logo that sealed the deal for me. Just like Frankenmuth, the medal and shirt design were the best!
I
love race logo designs that showcase the essence of the race. The Burton Crosswalk and Frankenmuth
Lederhosen are iconic symbols of the two races.
They make for great finisher medals and shirts. Shout out to Chad who doesn’t want to be named
for Burton’s 2023 logo. You may not care,
but I think you are amazing.
Registration for the
Burton Hot Fudge Run was more expensive than I remember it being in the past at
$56.49. I registered late in the first
week of February, but the flat fee of registration wasn’t bad. The shirt being a separate add-on caused the
increase. I couldn’t pass up an extra “Conquer
the Crosswalk” long sleeve shirt. I
rarely pay over $35 for a 5K. I have a
monthly running budget with the number of races I do. Burton was an exception I had to make because
I love the series so much.
Course:
The Burton Hot Fudge
Run course had not changed in my three-year hiatus from Burton.
….with the exception
of the 2019 Hot Fudge course adjustment over the train tracks….everything was
the same.
This year I took a screenshot of MapMyFitness when I got to the infamous Crosswalk to see how far into the course it was. I knew it was near the start and finish of the 5K and I guessed it was around a quarter mile away.
It is a third of a mile from the start and
finish line to the crosswalk spiral and about 550 feet across the entire
walkway over 69.
I love the crosswalk. It is my favorite park of the 5K course. I love that the course takes participants over the crosswalk two times. The ascending spiral shape is extremely unique. It adds more feet to the course by stretching an incline out longer.
The crosswalk has a metal cage around the
section over the expressway making it hard to take pictures of passing cars
down below.
…Of course I still tried.
There is a hole on the crosswalk where the two metal sides would normally connect over top. In the winter when the Hot Fudge Run takes place the crosswalk can be the toughest part of the course if there is snow or ice.
It was a tricky situation in Burton this year as a big ice storm had hit Michigan just days before the race with temperatures getting up into the low 40’s on race day. When I went over the crosswalk the first time it was pretty slick on the spirals.
On my
back to the finish, ice and snow had become a melted spiral path of slush.
Almost a mile of the
Burton Hot Fudge course (start to croswalk and back) is repeated, leaving two miles of course left on the south side of 69. The two miles is a giant square shape that goes through Burton neighborhoods with a half mile straight away down Lapeer
Road. Lapeer Road is the only part of
the 5K that is on a main road with traffic.
I saw a good number of cars pass by while I was on the road.
The Burton Hot Fudge Run had volunteers stationed at every turn of their 5K race. It’s so nice to see cheering and smiling groups of people so frequently at a 5K.
I remember a group of volunteers from my first Burton Hot Fudge run in
2018. All three women were holding warm Styrofoam
cups of hot chocolate from a local gas station.
I could see steam rising from their cups and commented how good it looked.
Overall, the Burton
Hot Fudge course is very flat (minus the infamous crosswalk) with a good amount
of turns. There are long stretches of road
that can get tiring. If the course was
in the Summer there would be little shade which makes it a great Winter
course. I love the start and finish at
Bentley Middle School.
Swag:
I got a beautiful finisher
medal on a high quality colored lanyard with “Volunteers of America” in matching
purple and pink colors. The medal was heavy
duty but smaller in size. I like tiny
medals. I don’t have a lot of them. They stand out amongst my other medals.
The finisher medal had great detail. The writing, for being so small,
could still be read. The Burton Hot Fudge medal takes the spot for
the most writing on any medal I’ve received.
Burton was able to get so much information on a tiny medal without
making it look overwhelming. I give them
a lot of credit on quality, design, writing and colors when it comes to their 2023 finisher medals.
As always, I commend
and have great respect for races that give out finisher medals to all participants. I needed a finisher medal badly in Burton
this year, something I will get more into in “Other Awesomeness” below.
As for Burton’s
shirt, that I added on with registration, the design was awesome as it matched
the medal and race logo. When I felt the
picture with my hand it was the grainy, very textured print. In my
experience, that kind of image transfer starts to crack and deteriorate quicker than other methods. For that reason, I won’t be wearing it as frequently
as a precaution. I still really like it,
but I wish the price for shirts would have been a little cheaper.
Had I been able to
drive to Burton on Friday to pick up my packet at Complete Runner, I could have
been a lucky one of 100 people (first to show up) to receive a goodie bag from
Volunteers of America and a Conquer the Crosswalk sticker from Park Dental
Wellness. Had the run been closer to our
home I would have definitely tried to be one of the first 100. I’m always up for extra race giveaways. I’ve gotten some really cool unexpected goodies
in my years of racing.
I like that goodie
bags were added on as an incentive to pick-up bibs and shirts early.
Restrooms:
Bentley Middle School had nice indoor bathrooms for participants. With 246 participants I only waited a few minutes to use the restroom before the race.
Bathrooms were easy to find right across from the cafeteria and gym where
packet pick-up, award pick-up and the post-race hot fudge bar took place. I’ve started runs at plenty of schools over
the years and on a few occasions it has been a challenge finding a bathroom. They are sometimes down labyrinths of
hallways and I’ve had to ask on occasion.
I’d still rather get lost and spend extra time finding an indoor
bathroom over a Porta-John most days. ^_^
Food:
As the Burton Hot
Fudge Run’s name implies, it has delicious post-race food. I always look forward to the plastic tray
with pineapple pieces, strawberries, pretzels, marshmallows and a piece of graham
cracker. Hot fudge is poured into trays
by a volunteer as participants pick-up dipping trays and walk down the food
table. There were also full sized bananas
and full-sized water bottles for participants.
Due to the J&S Scotti’s
Coney Island disaster, I shared more of my hot fudge tray with Jason, Ryan and Will
then I wanted. I felt bad they waited 45
minutes for breakfast to find out their order was never sent to the kitchen. My hot fudge tray was taken down in under
three minutes with the added help this year.
Texas Roadhouse always has an additional table setup near the main food table in the cafeteria with pre-poured bowls of chili, large bags of their peanuts and coupons for one free appetizer and a free kids meal with one adult entrée.
I’ve taken the coupons every year I’ve run the
Hot Fudge 5K and have a pile of them at our house we have never used. I decided this year that we were going to use
the Texas Roadhouse coupons. More about
that in my “Other Awesomeness” section.
All in all I received
a bowl of chili, peanut bag, water bottle, banana and hot fudge dipping tray as
post-race food in Burton for the Hot Fudge Run.
My only complaint is that I wish I could get two hot fudge dipping trays, they always leave me wanting seconds.
Awards:
Awards were given for both the 5K run and walk. I am a huge supporter of awards for 5K walk participants. Walkers don’t get many opportunities to receive awards, but they are just as worthy. There were overall awards, master awards and age group awards three deep in five-year increments starting at “10 and under” and ending at “80+.” I love everything about the age group awards Burton had. Their youngest and oldest age groups were amazing. There may have been mixed feelings on the finisher medals and age group medals being identical in design, but different in size. Some people like receiving totally different medals. It’s something unique to Burton.
I took home a Burton Memorial
Day Run age group award in 2019 that was beautifully shaped like a Western belt
bucket. It had an identical design to my
finisher medal from the run but was four times the size. I love both of my medals from that race.
There was not an official awards ceremony at the Hot Fudge Run in Burton. Laptops were placed on a table in the gym where finishers could check their times and request their age group awards from none other than the wondeful Burton Hot Fudge Race Director, Debbie Newton, who radiated enthusiasm and positive vibes.
I loved the acrylic awards
given to overall winners in each category.
They were absolutely beautiful. I
would have been over the moon had I won one.
The more I sit and think about Burton the more I wish I would have
signed up for the walk. I think I could
have had a greater chance at placing had I tried a competitive walk for the
first time. It’s something I still want to
do in the near future.
Aide Stations:
The Burton Hot
Fudge Run had one water aide station on their 5K course at the halfway point of
3.1 miles. The aide station was setup at
the corner of Carlson Drive and Lapeer Road.
It was a nice place for an aide station before getting onto a main road. I took a cup hoping it would help open things
up for me. It was nice the three aide
station volunteers had pre-poured cups held out for participants to grab
easily. I am glad there was a garage can
just past the aide station. I wish all aide stations would have water and eletrolyte options, even on shorter 5K courses. The runs that have Gatorade cups really help me get a boost.
Timing:
Timing of the Burton
Race Series has been done by Newton Timing and Race Services since the series began. Chip timing was done and results were texted
immediately. I love that Burton Races
Series results are up on Athlinks instantly.
I never have to submit Burton results to Athlinks after their races and
wait for approval. I can claim my results
to my profile before I leave the race, something that does not happen frequently
at runs.
Newton Timing and Race
Services is a timing company founded in 1991 based out of two states, Michigan
and Washington. Amber Shaw is a senior
timing staff member, race inflatables coordinator and the woman behind the
scenes of Newton Timing’s social media.
She is friendly, endlessly helpful and can be found consistently at
Burton races radiating good vibes.
City Notes:
Burton, Michigan is a 23.5 square mile
area of land that was named after local farmer John Burton in 1856. Burton did not become a city until 1971 after
a vote from township residents. Burton
has 30,000 residents and three separate school districts, Bentley (The Hot Fudge Run venue), Bendle and Atherton. The
Atherton School District in Burton is named after the original Atherton settlement
that has since become the City of Burton.
(Photo Credit: https://www.burtonmi.gov)
For being so close to a major Michigan Metropolitan area, Burton is home to some great nature areas. For-Mar Nature Preserve was a former 383 acre dairy farm.
(Photo Credit: @mfsimages)
Kids from the Wild Adventurers came up with an idea to build a treehouse in the preserve and presented it to the Genesee County Parks Director for approval.
(Photo Credit: @_jrp_photography)
Two years later enough money was raised to break ground on the treehouse. Treehouse master builder Pete Neslon was brought on board to design the huge treehouse.
(Photo Credit: @waynewodtke)
The For-Mar Nature Preserve Treehouse stands 30 feet above ground, can hold 30 people inside and is the headquarters for the “Preservers” …aka Nature’s Superheroes. Nature’s Superheroes include: Grandmaster Snapper, Owl Girl, The Frog, and Miss Sunflower.
(Photo Credit: @michigantravelist)
The amazing treehouse was opened to the
public in August 2016.
https://www.awesomemitten.com/for-mar-nature-preserve-treehouse/
https://www.burtonmi.gov/residents/about_our_city/index.php
Burton is also home to beautiful Kelly Lake Park with a one mile walking trail, catch and release fishing
areas and sledding hills. The park bumps
up along Interstate 69. Kelly Lake is 40
acres with 1.73 miles of shoreline. A Trick-Or-Treat
Trail at the park is put on annually for kids.
In 2012 a renovation project was proposed for a boardwalk and observation
deck looking over Kelly Lake. Michigan
Natural Resources Trust Fund gave a grant of $171,000 towards the project but
the project had a rocky road in getting approval. In 2016 a ribbon cutting ceremony was held for
the opening of the boardwalk and it was formally named “Kiwanis Krossing.”
https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2012/12/boardwalk_observation_decks_pa.html
https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2014/10/kelly_lake_boardwalk_funding_t.html
I’ve mentioned Amber Shaw a few times throughout this blog. Amber
and her family need an entire blog all to themselves. They are a very important family and a name
known around the City of Burton. Debbie
and Tony Newton, Amber’s parents, are the founders of Newton Timing Company and
Amber’s grandfather, George Thomas, was the first major of Burton when it became
a city in 1971. He served as mayor for three
years. He was known as a visionary who always
wanted to help the city of Burton. He
wanted the best for Burton and knew how monumental and important it was when Burton
went from being a township to a city. Taking
care of Burton and doing great things for the city and its residents was like
taking care of family to Thomas. He left
behind a great legacy that his family now carries on. It is the combined effort of the Newton
family along with Vaughn Smith, Jim Craig and Steve Welch that lit the flame of the
Burton Race Series just over a decade ago and brought something very special to the City of Burton.
https://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/newsnow/2007/03/burtons_first_mayor_always_eag.html
I now understand my gut feeling from the first day I ran a Burton Race Series event. I knew the series had miles
and miles of heart. Now I know that is because of a family and their passion for a city,
their hometown.
Hometown and home state love run deep.
City Sign:
Other Awesomeness:
I love the Burton Race Series.
I don’t know why I decided to run an hour and a half away from our house
back in 2018. It may have been the name
of the race that drew me in. Back when I
first started running I only registered for runs that gave all participants finisher
medals, which makes it even odder. My first
year running the Hot Fudge run I did not receive a finisher medal. Regardless of the reason, I ended up in Burton. When I discovered there was a four event race series, I
decided I wanted to take a shot at completing my first running series.
Burton will always be that.
I got my first ever age group medal running in Burton when I ran their second 2018 race, Race2Grace (May 2018). It was my first race back after recovering from my pelvic bone fracture that kept me out of races during March and April of 2018. I couldn’t believe I had won third place in my age group after running a 30:04 “struggling to get back my endurance” 5K. It was at the 2018 Race2Grace that I fell in love with third place.
That same
year I finished the series with a feast at the Burton Veteran’s Day Run. There was so much food it felt like a buffet
dinner.
Other firsts in Burton include, running with Corky…I should say
running with Corky one mile and carrying him the last two. Burton was the only race Corky ever attempted
to run.
I thought coming off a 5K in the 27’s last week at the Super Bowl
5K in Lansing would seal my fate of consistent “under 30 minute 5Ks” for a bit.
I was wrong.
My sinus congestion has been affecting my running since we moved to Marshall. Everyday I have tight airways in my nose but somedays are much worse than others. My ENT believes sinus surgery is needed to, in his words, “Change my life forever.” Steroids have done little to help.
With what they think is vocal cord dysfunction mimicking exercise induced asthma symptoms, I have to be able to do my breathing exercises when I run, especially at winter runs. I couldn’t do those exercises in Burton. I felt like my lungs were shutting down within the first mile and it only got worse as the miles went on. I called Jason to ask if he could be at the finish line with Ryan and Will. Luke was at his floor hockey game with a friend. They had dropped me off early and gone to get breakfast.
Unfortunately, they did not make it to the
finish line and did not get breakfast.
It was a double negative. Their
waitress forgot to put their order into the system and they didn’t figure it
out for 45 minutes when tables that had come in after them received food.
Had I run another 27 minute 5K I would have placed in Burton and
broken my fourth place Hot Fudge 5K streak.
That’s another thing notable about Burton…for four years I have come in fourth
place, just outside the realm of getting an age group award. With the exception of this year Burton Hot
Fudge runs have been some of my best 5K times, yet I have always fallen
short. I came to the conclusion last
year it was my destiny to come in fourth at the Hot Fudge Fun in Burton.
At all other Burton runs I have placed in my age group at least once, it is something to do with the Hot Fudge Run specifically. This year was a tough loss, a much harder loss than any other Hot Fudge Run. I was in the last half mile making my way over the amazing crosswalk when a woman passed me.
She wasn’t going that much
faster than me and keep a small lead for a good distance. I had a feeling she was in my age group but I
didn’t have anything left to try and stay closer to her. In the last 500 feet she had me by a substantial
distance. It was at that point I figured
it didn’t matter how much faster I ran. My
fate was sealed.
Unknown to me and any runner in my position, the woman that
passed me must have started a lot further back in the opening group. For being about 45 second ahead of me
crossing the finish we finished with 5K times only ONE second apart!
Yes you heard that right, I lost third place for the fourth year
in a row by….
one second.
It’s a tough place to be. I always tell Jason I am okay losing an age group as long as the difference between my time and the third place finisher’s time is at least 30 seconds. I may have not had enough in me to finish ahead of that woman, but had someone said out on the course, "You just need to run one second faster!" ….I could have done that.
That’s the “bury your head in your hands and
sigh out loud” part.
It would go against destiny to take a third place at the Burton
Hot Fudge Run, even in the great year of 2023.
Maybe third place awaits me in 2024 when there is a magic number “4” in
the date. I think it’s hilarious and
amazing to come in the same place at the same run four years in counting with different
finisher times and participants each year.
We left the Burton Hot Fudge Run and went to Texas Roadhouse to use a coupon from the run that could only be used at the Burton location. I wanted to use my coupons for the first time and save some money on a nice meal. We hadn’t had steak in a while and we love Texas Roadhouse bread with cinnamon butter.
We got a free appetizer and one free kid’s meal that took a good portion off the bill. The waitress was great with our rushed situation for picking up Luke. We got to see a line dance right in front of our booth, play digital mini gold and Battleship and enjoy great food. Texas Roadhouse sweet potatoes are on my favorite list now.
I want to make a note that I had my first real journalism
experience writing this 2023 Burton Hot Fudge Run blog. When I was researching things that make the City
of Burton awesome I came across two nature areas. I found two MLive articles written about a
proposed boardwalk. The article from
2012 stated the boardwalk idea and mentioned some of the funding. The 2014 article indicated that approval of
the boardwalk was hitting walls based on the overall costs. I could find no further updates or articles
about the boardwalk.
I decided to call the City of Burton and ask if the boardwalk had
been built at Kelly Lake. I think I
genuinely weirded the Recreational Department Secretary out. She snickered at one point and asked me why I
was writing about the boardwalk. She did
not know if it had been built but assumed it had from a picture of an observation
dock over Kelly Lake on Burton’s city website.
I wanted to be absolutely certain it was there, so I keep digging. I emailed the author of the MLive articles asking
if he had a follow-up. I then contacted the wonderful Amber Shaw who was able
to find out the boardwalk had indeed been approved with a ribbon cutting
ceremony and was officially named. I am
surprised the City of Burton worker was not aware of what I was able to find
out. I like to be accurate in my blogs. It’s important to me that I get things right
even if it takes time to gather information.
Moral of the Story: It’s
not always easy being a journalist and getting information.
I met an awesome Rottweiler named Tyson at the finish line at the Hot Fudge Run. His owner was nice enough to let me take a photo of him with his medal. When I saw the medal ladies put an extra medal around his neck it totally made my day.
When we got home we did an awesome library scavenger hunt for prizes and went to Marshall's candy store, Great Lakes Candy and Cones.
The only question left to answer is….
Do I complete the Burton Race Series in 2023?
or..
Is it Hot Fudge Run and done?
That is….. TBD ^_^
Course Rating: 5 Stars
Post-Race Food Rating: 5
Stars
Swag Rating: 4.7 Stars
Awards Rating: 5 Stars
Race Execution: 5 Stars
Restroom Rating: 5 Stars
Aide Stations: 4.9 Stars
Timing
Company: 5 Stars
Post-Race Activities: N/A
Burton Hot Fudge Run Quote:
“Some people look for a beautiful place. Others make a place beautiful.”
-
Hazrat Inavat Khan.
Note: This Burton quote reflects
some opinions about the city of Flint and surrounding areas. Flint may have its shortcomings as a city,
but as the quote reads, any place can be made beautiful. The Burton Race Series makes Flint Metro more
beautiful.
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