For the 35th year, around 400 people will be jogging along the banks of the Detroit River this evening for the annual Downriver 5K to support the YMCA.
The run has been an effort of many people throughout the years, but Downriver Y board member Fred Karn was one of the runners in the very first race, and shortly thereafter joined the board and has been a board member ever since.
The run began as a way to capitalize on the running craze of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Karn said, and just a handful of runners turned out that first year. Runners took a back road and then ran along alleys in Wyandotte so the city would not have to close the streets. Back then, the Downriver Y was a shared brick building on Fort Street in Wyandotte; today, it’s a beautiful, huge facility on Northline Road in Southgate.
They’ve tried may different ways to attract people and make the race successful over the years. Now, 35 years later, the run is still in downtown Wyandotte, but much like the Y itself the course is much nicer. Runners use the golf course at BASF Park, which offers beautiful views of the Detroit River and passing sailboats and freighters. “it’s very picturesque, and really very special,” Karn says. It’s a family affair, too; there is a quarter mile run for the youngest kids, a mile run for older kids, and a 5K for the adults.
There is always a honorary chair of the run who helps draw participants, which has ranged from a state championship-winning hockey team coach to a wheelchair athlete. The race also brings in funds from sponsorships, including support from longtime sponsors BASF, Henry Ford Health System; Lincoln Park Rotary Club and KSP Insurance (Karn’s firm), along with Citizens Insurance Co.
All this adds up to thousands of dollars worth of scholarships for the Strong Kids Campaign, Karn says. Race day was cool and rainy, but they’re hoping for a good turnout to bring together the Downriver communities and support Y programs for deserving families.