It takes place the third Saturday of July each year. 1975: The 10-mile Canal Run was founded by Bob Olson, an avid runner and owner of WMPL Radio at the time. Bob, along with his family and a few volunteers, organized the race for several years, until it became too large for such a small group to manage. At that time, Bob contacted Ken Seaton, President of D&N Bank to sponsor and support the even
t. Seaton saw this as a good community event, and agreed to be involved. D&N Bank, which later became Republic Bank and now Citizen’s Bank, has been involved ever since.
2007: Republic Bank approached Portage Health to co-sponsor and help manage a now very large race. The race continues to grow each year.
2009: A 5 mile run option open to public. The race now offers a 10 mile run, 10 mile walk and 5 mile run. Participation continues to grow.
2010: A 5 mile walk option open to public. The race now offers a 10 mile run, 10 mile walk, 5 mile run and 5 mile walk. Participation is expected to grow, as the race will now open to more ability levels. Also new for 2010, Canal Weekend- a plethora of events going on during the weekend of the Canal Run to promote healthy, fit lifestyles. Events will include a volleyball tournament, ERG challenge, ping pong tournament, street hockey tournament, kid’s obstacle courses, a barbeque, live music and more. Finlandia University is now a major sponsor, along with Portage Health and Citizen’s Bank.
