No Frills All Thrills 2020 Photos 29 Mile Drive The 2020 No Frills All Thrills was a completely different race from 2019.  Due to the Coronavirus there was no official start time and no timer present.  The race director decided to let participants that still wanted to come show up and starting running whenever they choose from 9:00am until noon.  Upon finishing we showed our running app results to Don and got official times!  I thought this was a wonderful idea.  No Frills All Thrills is already a trail run out in nature.  Runners were given the option to defer their 2020 registration to 2021.  Many did that.  That brought race numbers down to 41.  Take that number and spread it across a three hour start time window and you have a brilliant way to keep runners safe and provide the running relief we all needed.  Runners are missing events more than ever since this pandemic.  Being able to go outside and exercise is great...

   Big Bird Run 2019 Photos 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....

   No Frills All Thrills Run 2019 Photos 29 Mile Drive 2019 No Frills All Thrills was a beautiful trail run with perfect weather.  I got to meet Kelly and we found dogs to take pictures with.  I renewed our Metroparks pass for the year.  We use the Metroparks pass a lot.  I met the race director Don who was staff at the Detroit Free Press Marathon.  Don was awesome.  I choose the 4K instead of the 8K race.  Huron Meadows Metropark is really scenic.  On the course I saw a lot of Maltby Lake.  You could see the finish from across the lake at the halfway point of the course.  I saw a crane in the field on the course near the photographer’s station.  The last hill up to the finish was huge and exhausting.  Post-race food was sweet with a lot of cookies, candy, brownies etc. Kelly won an amazing age group flashlight.  Brighton Page