Grand Rapids Marathon

05/28/2026

In this week's newsletter, Don talks about milestones. Birthdays with a zero on the end. First marathons. Big adventures. The kind of stuff that sneaks up on you when you look back and realize how fast the years went.

He also admitted his brain is still very susceptible to people putting interesting ideas in it. Which probably explains a lot about the last 30 years.

A couple friends finished their first marathon at Bayshore. Another reminder that once you run 26.2, your world gets bigger in a hurry.

There’s more in this week’s newsletter about adventures, aging, charities, running friends, and why marathon people never really seem to slow down. Check it out:

Email from Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon Marathon News From Grand Rapids 28 May 2026 31 August 2023 Marathon News from Grand Rapids 28 May 2026 View as Webpage Milestones Looking for a local run

05/27/2026

Don turns 70 today.

We pulled together a few members of his race committee and longtime friends to say a few words about the guy most of West Michigan knows simply as “Marathon Don.”

If you’ve spent any time around his events, you already know about him.

Early mornings. Weather reports. Last minute course adjustments.

A lot of people see the finish lines. It's people like Don that make them happen.

Happy Birthday, Don! Here's to many more!

05/26/2026

A race with friends that ends in a biergarten? Now that's our kind of deal!

With a 25 Mile Relay, 50 Mile Relay, as well as a 100 & 200 Mile Relay, there's an option for you and your friends!

Who is looking forward to the post race party in the Third Nature Brewing Company biergarten?!?

Registration includes a meal and drink ticket, when you register to join us July 10-11th: https://runsignup.com/Race/MI/Rockford/2018FredRunningrelays

05/25/2026

Who earned some hardware this weekend?? Ben and half of Grand Rapids were up north for Bayshore!

Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all who’ve served.

See you October 18th

https://runsignup.com/Race/MI/GrandRapids/GRMarathon

05/23/2026

Whether you just completed the Amway River Bank Run or the TCTC Bayshore Marathon…we’re here to support you. And by that, we mean we’re here to be your goal for the fall.

Join us October 18th, downtown Grand Rapids.

https://www.grandrapidsmarathon.com/

05/22/2026

Live from the TCTC Bayshore Marathon Expo!

05/22/2026

The guys are up at the Bayshore Marathon Expo today. Ben and Don made the trip north with a table full of medals, stories, and probably more marathon talk than anyone asked for.

If you’re running TCTC Bayshore Marathon, stop by and say hello. We’re talking Grand Rapids Marathon Weekend, Last Chance BQ.2, Groundhog, Millennium Meadows, and all the usual bad decisions that somehow turn into good memories.

We’ll be here all day. Come tell us what you’re training for.

05/21/2026

Memorial Day weekend around here has kind of turned into race weekend too.

A lot of people heading north. TCTC Bayshore Marathon. Cookouts. Family stuff. Long runs before everybody else wakes up.

I’ve run Bayshore a few times on my birthday over the years. One year it was my 44th birthday and my 44th marathon. That seemed important at the time.

This week I wrote a little about something I’ve been thinking about lately. The world gets noisy sometimes. Too much stuff you can’t do much about. But around here, at our level, people are still trying to get better. Taking care of family. Helping friends. Encouraging somebody through their first race. Throwing starfish back in the ocean one at a time.

And you’ve got to be careful hanging around endurance athletes too long. Somebody tells you about swimming across the Arctic Circle or running a marathon somewhere ridiculous and suddenly you’re sitting there thinking, “Well...maybe.”

That’s how this stuff starts.

More from this week’s newsletter:

Email from Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon Marathon News From Grand Rapids 21 May 2026 31 August 2023 Marathon News from Grand Rapids 21 May 2026 View as Webpage Memorial Day Weekend Looking for a

05/18/2026

TCTC Bayshore Marathon Roll Call! Who's heading Up North this weekend?

📸 Jamie McNinch for stellafly

05/14/2026

“Am I an athlete?”

Don got asked that question this week by a newer runner worried that 11:30 pace maybe didn’t “count.”
His answer?

If you’re out there training, testing yourself, getting off the couch, chasing something hard… you’re an athlete.

Doesn’t matter if you run 6-minute pace or 16-minute pace.
The sign says ATHLETE CHECK-IN.
They’re talking about you.

Also: prices go up at midnight tonight for most Grand Rapids Marathon events.

So if you’ve been thinking about signing up… this is your nudge.

👉

Email from Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon Marathon News From Grand Rapids 14 May 2026 31 August 2023 Marathon News from Grand Rapids 14 May 2026 View as Webpage Am I An Athlete? Looking for a loc