Kalamazoo Marathon Afterglo

May 6th was the day of the eighth annual Kalamazoo Marathon.

The day started, for me, at 5:30 a.m., as a non-participating volunteer, helping to park cars in a church parking lot.

The church sits along Gull Road, about a half-mile away from the Nazareth Campus, which serves as the start and finish spot for the race.

Arriving at 6:30, I soon met Jack, my parking partner, who had already mapped out the grassy areas that feed into the main parking lot (which had about sixty spots). Jack's logistical genius had resulted in an additional 60+ spots. They included a cul-de-sac, as well as a few side areas near the church.

Without exception everyone who pulled in looking for parking was friendly. Some were set to run, some were set to cheer runners on.

After helping to usher in folks for about an hour-and-a-half, off in the distance, I heard someone singing The Star Spangled Banner at 8 a.m., to officially begin the race. Closely followed by the theme from ROCKY.

At this point Gull Road, which is a major street (two lanes in each direction plus a turn lane) was closed off to traffic. And the runners poured out from Nazareth Road, heading towards downtown Kalamazoo. Quite an impressive site!

A few hours later (around 12:30) I decided to go for my usual daily walk.

Only this time, normal routine was thrown out the window.

More than four hours into the Kalamazoo Marathon, volunteers were still on the job at the top of Park Street (AKA our local version of  "Heartbreak Hill.") As runners came up the hill they were greeted with shouts, cow-bells, cups of water, claps and smiles to muster their strength for the remainder of the race.

It felt absolutely marvelous to be part, in a very small way, of this terrific community event.

And it definitely had the feel of a COMMUNITY - with the Marathon winding through many neighborhoods, with hand-made signs of encouragement (tons of variations on the theme of "GO FOR IT! or WE'RE PROUD OF YOU!!)

To get a sense of what actual participants felt about the Kalamazoo Marathon, I looked the event up on line and found comments from last year's version, which were along the lines of: "Loved this Marathon!  Small town feel, big race vibe!"

An added plus was a chance to get to know Jack, after we were done helping to park cars. Turns out he's been a member of the church since he was a kid! Over 50 some years! Jack told me about the history of the East Side of town. Turns out, he grew up across the street from where we were standing. He pointed to a large white house that was sitting inconspicuously along the street and said, "That was the original farm house for this part of the road. Before any side streets were planned."

I drive along Gull Road frequently, and have passed that particular house hundreds of times - but until Jack pointed it out, I was oblivious to its history.

When I was a kid, the local television station (WKZO-TV) had a slogan "Kalamazoo, Direct to You!" I guess that now includes the Kalamazoo Marathon, which directly impacts hundreds upon hundreds of runners!

Photo Credits: Top photo, Bronson Kalamazoo Marathon Facebook Page. All others, Rebekah Welch/Mlive Kalamazoo Gazette.