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Michigan Runner Girl

The Michigan Runner Girl podcast is where you'll find a passion for running, hiking, paddling, and cycling crosses paths with a love of nature and outdoor exploration in the beautiful state of Michigan — and beyond. A mother, writer, gigantic Great Lakes fan, and book lover Heather Durocher, creator of the running and travel site MichiganRunnerGirl.com, hosts the show. Expect to hear informative, engaging, and inspiring conversations with others also on their own health and wellness journey. The Michigan Runner Girl podcast is about finding our way, through movement. Season One of 2022 now underway, with a theme of Reconnection.
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Now displaying: March, 2016
Mar 30, 2016
The annual Traverse City Trail Running Festival, organized by Endurance Evolution, is the focus of this week's show. Heather checks in with Joel Gaff, race director and founder of Endurance Evolution (and previous podcast guest), to hear how the 2016 race is shaping up. This two-day event starts Friday, April 22, and carries over into Saturday, April 23, offering a variety of distances for newer and veteran trail runners alike. The courses take runners through the Pere Marquette Forest on both single track and two-track trails, beginning at Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort on the east side of Traverse City. The festival kicks off with a two-person 10K relay (each runner runs 5K) on Friday evening, and the 10K, 25K and 50K individual races get underway on Saturday morning. Joel talks about this family- and spectator-friendly event, which includes a fun kids run during race packet pickup Friday night and cool post-race awards celebration on Saturday, and also shares news of Endurance Evolution's other racing events taking place in the region throughout the year. Heather, who is gearing up for her first triathlon this June, was especially eager to talk with Joel about his flagship race, the Traverse City Triathlon held at Bowers Harbor on Old Mission Peninsula in August. 
 
Links: www.enduranceevolution.com 
 
Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort: www.timberridgeresort.net
Mar 23, 2016

The BIG Little Hero Race, a 10K/5K/free kids fun run organized by business students at Northwestern Michigan College, is back for its second year this spring. On today's show, Heather talks with Race Director Kyle Brownley, business professor (and runner) Kristy McDonald and students-turned-race-organizers Nicole Trine-Koewers and Justin Brown about the April 16 race. Tony Anderson, a northern Michigan marathoner and passionate advocate for children, also joins the conversation. Last year's event raised more than $8,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Michigan. The race started last year as a service project for students taking Kristy's business communications class. The event was such a success that it's become an annual tradition, helping the students gain real-world experience helping give back to their community. This is a super hero-themed race taking place at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City. Heather and her family are planning to run this one together. Join the fun on Saturday, April 16. (Free capes will be given to all kids!) 

Links:

BIG Little Hero Race site: www.biglittleherorace.com 

Registration site: https://events.bytepro.net/biglittleherorace

Blog post on MRG about this year's event: http://michiganrunnergirl.com/superhero-themed-10k-5k-fun-run-benefitting-kids-set-for-april-16/

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Michigan: http://bigsupnorth.com

 

Mar 17, 2016

Downtown Grand Rapids each spring plays host to the Gazelle Girl Half Marathon & 5K, attracting hundreds of runners to the female-focused event. This year's races, which are all about empowering women, take place April 17, with 100% of proceeds benefitting the event's charity partners. Heather takes a closer look at this race, which she ran with friends in 2014. Cara Zerbel, co-race director and assistant store manager for Gazelle Sports in Grand Rapids, joins Heather on the show to talk about what's new for the 2016 Gazelle Girl Half Marathon & 5K (hear all about the "double down" medals now available to 5K runners participating in Gazelle Girl and the Fifth Third River Bank Run in May). Grand Rapids runner Colleen Urquhart, who has served as a team leader with Gazelle Sports training groups, also joins the conversation and shares why the Gazelle Girl Half Marathon & 5K is close to her heart -- she's run each one since its inception four years ago: "I am looking forward to scoring the double down medal again this year."

 
Links: 
 
www.gazellegirlhalfmarathon.com
 
Www.53riverbankrun.com
 
Www.gazellesports.com

 

Mar 9, 2016

While races that pit runners against obstacles like slippery climbing walls and mounds of mud have grown in popularity in recent years, few can claim they place athletes along the shores of one of our Great Lakes. The second annual ForeShore Adventure Run, set for May 21, does just that, at a Lake Michigan beach in Muskegon. It just might be the only one of its kind. "There are a couple of things that make this run unique: the setting — the run takes place on a world-class beach — and the number and type of obstacles the runners will have to conquer," says Dan Skoglund, assistant executive director at Muskegon Rescue Mission, which is behind the event that'll take place at Pere Marquette Beach Park on Lake Michigan. Heather talks with Dan about this year's event, which is family-friendly and features more climbing and more water fun compared to the inaugural event, thanks to runner feedback. On the show Dan shares the an important aspect of this race: Proceeds go toward providing shelter, food and care "for the most vulnerable in our community — homeless men, women and children." ForeShore Adventure Run is offering a special race discount to MRG readers and listeners this year -- Heather shares this code during the episode. 

Link: http://foreshore.org

 

Mar 2, 2016

Episode #31: The Pure Michigan FITness Series

 
Log miles at races throughout the state and get cool swag like a hoodie, water bottle, medal, even the chance to win a trip up to the top of the Mackinac Bridge -- what's not to like about that? Heather gets the lowdown on the Pure Michigan FITness Series, offered through the Michigan Fitness Foundation, when she has Lansing runner Michelle Coss on the show. MIchelle, who is is training for this spring's Bayshore Half Marathon, is the event director at the Michigan Fitness Foundation, where she focuses on the Labor Day Bridge Run, the Governor's Fitness Awards, the Pure Michigan FITness Series and the Auto Show 5K in Detroit. She also directs Lansing's only marathon, the Capital City River Run. Michelle and Heather talk about the numerous races throughout the state that are part of the FITness Series -- these are endorsed by the Foundation and are local, regional and state events consistent with the Governor’s Council mission to promote healthy choices, while offering a physical activity event open to all participants, regardless of skill level or age. What this means for all of us: when we participate in these events, we can join, for free, the Pure Michigan FITness Challenge Series and start earning cool stuff. A searchable event calendar of these races is available at michiganfitness.org -- you can be a runner or a volunteer at any of these races to earn points.
 
Also in this episode: an inspiring story of a South Haven runner who overcame a traumatic brain injury and ran her first 5K. Listeners are encouraged to send in their own inspiring stories to Heather at michiganrunnergirl@gmail.com
 
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