2007 Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon Adds Relay!

(ATTN: RUNNING CLUBS. Add this to your next newsletter!)

This year teams of three, four, or five people will be able to join the fun in Grand Rapids, where we'll hold a five-leg relay along with the Marathon and Half-Marathon.

The mileage on the legs will be approx. 6, 6, 5, 4, 5. You can even have someone run a couple consecutive legs if you want, so your team could be three, four, or five people. (If you want a two person team, forget it. Just sign up for the half-marathon and then both of you can be done and drinking beer and eating chili together while you're waiting for everyone else to come in.) Divisions for men, women, and mixed teams.

Registration is available online ONLY, and we're limited to 250 teams. Full information is at grandrapidsmarathon.com, of course.

Stilt Walker Plans to Break World Record in Support of UCP Michigan

This October, Neil Sauter could walk into the record books.

Sauter hopes to break a Guinness World Record by stilt walking the Grand Rapids Marathon to benefit United Cerebral Palsy of Michigan (UCP Michigan).

People can support the affiliate by donating money for every mile Sauter walks or through flat donations. All of the money raised will go to the UCP Michigan's Assistive Technology Loan Fund. For each $20 donation, the AT Loan Fund will receive an additional $60 from the federal government.

Sauter, who has mild cerebral palsy himself, approached UCP Michigan about the fundraising idea two weeks ago. He works full-time as a disability advocate at the Hope Network in Grand Rapids, but during his free time he stilt walks in parades and runs marathons.

The Grand Rapid Marathon was a chance to bring all of his interests together.

The Marathon staff are thrilled that Sauter will be attempting to break a world record at the event. They have already agreed to let UCP Michigan post banners at the start and finish of the marathon, as well as staff a branded water booth along the route.

Sauter would be the second person to ever stilt walk a marathon. Bill "Stretch" Coleman of Denver, Colorado currently holds the world record, lumbering in at 8 hours, 56 minutes, and 58 seconds.

UCP Michigan's Assistive Technology Loan Fund gives people with disabilities and seniors the opportunity to buy equipment such as scooters, modified vehicles, and ramps to help them navigate their daily lives and increase their overall quality of life.

To learn more Neil Sauter, visit http://www.myspace.com/cpstiltwalker. For more information about the AT Loan Fund, visit the UCP Michigan Web Site.

Our Friends in Kalamazoo

I got this email from Bonnie Sexton yesterday about the posting she made on the Kalamazoo blog. Thanks Bonnie!!

Hey Don,

We put a plug for the GR Marathon on the Safari Marathon Training Blog (I do the participant communications for the Kzoo Safari Program) We really need to start pumping your event. Is there anything else extra special you are doing this year that you think would be a big draw? Check it out at our blog

Bonnie Sexton

It's a new thing we're doing

This year we'll be maintaining a blog for all of the great news from the Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon. On it, we'll post our press releases, copies of the email you get from world-famous race director Don Kern, our weekly podcasts, and whatever else we can think of that will help make your marathon experience a lot of fun. Stay tuned to this site for more than you ever wanted to know.