Guest Column
Contributor
jeff herron I guest columnist
Like many, I was saddened to learn that the Big House Big Heart race was canceled. When the event was introduced six years ago, I applauded the innovation.
People line up for late registration during The Big House Big Heart run in Ann Arbor in 2011.
Joseph Tobianski I AnnArbor.com
Kellie Woodhouse
AnnArbor.com
Dave Brandon
Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com
Related Article: Canceled: Big House Big Heart race forced out of Michigan Stadium
University of Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon told 1290 WLBY radio host Lucy Ann Lance Wednesday morning that he supports hosting a fundraising race that ends at Michigan Stadium, but says he no longer wants to partner with Champions for Charity.
More after the jump…
Kellie Woodhouse
AnnArbor.com
Runners enter the tunnel at Michigan Stadium during The Big House Big Heart run in Ann Arbor in 2011.
Joseph Tobianski I AnnArbor.com
When Andrea Highfield learned the annual Big House Big Heart run would have to go forward without half of its namesake —the Big House— she was "baffled" and discouraged, she says.
Kellie Woodhouse
AnnArbor.com
The following is an email sent by Champions For Charity staff to Big House Big Heart supporters informing them of the event's cancellation. The email was sent Tuesday morning.
Dear Big House Big Heart Participant,
We apologize ahead for a lengthy email. It is with sadness that we announce that University of Michigan Athletics has decided that Big House Big Heart no longer fits into its charitable mission and therefore the race cannot finish in the Big House. At a meeting on Nov. 30 with two representatives of the Brandon Administration, Chrissi Rawak, Senior Assistant Athletic Director for Development and Rob Rademacker, Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Operations, we were told, "our decision was based on a several month long evaluation of our charitable work and relationships and need to streamline and organize those efforts. Unfortunately, the run doesn't fit into those plans."
More after the jump…
Kellie Woodhouse
AnnArbor.com
Runners slap the "Go Blue" banner at the end of the Big House Big Heart Run in 2011.
Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com
An annual fundraising race that loops through University of Michigan and downtown Ann Arbor and ends at the city's most iconic landmark, Michigan Stadium, is canceled.
More after the jump…
Chris Asadian
AnnArbor.com
A change in season wasn't expected to impact the turnout for the Big House Big Heart run, which features 10-kilometer, 5-kilometer and 1-mile courses that end at the 50-yard line at Michigan Stadium.
Steady rain in Ann Arbor Sunday morning may have kept a few people away, however.
The 10K race started in a downpour at 8 a.m. and heavy rain continued until just prior to the start of the 5K at 9:10 a.m.
The wet conditions didn’t impact the races' winning times, however.
Todd Snyder, 34, of Whitmore Lake, won the 10K race in 30 minutes, 48.6 seconds. That’s just 10 seconds off the pace of last year’s winner, Brandon Bethke of Ann Arbor.
Sherrie Teeple, 39, of Grand Blanc, was the first female finisher in the 10K, crossing the finish line in 38:55. That’s nearly one minute faster than last year’s top woman.
Dean Huffer, 27, of Ann Arbor, won the 5K in 15:44. Kristina Olsen, 23, of Jackson was the top female finisher in 18:38.3.
10K RUN/WALK
Top 10 men
1. Todd Snyder (Whitmore Lake), 30:48.6
2. Charlie Mouch (Ann Arbor), 32:51.9
3. Andrew Eheart (Champaign, Ill.), 33:32.9
4. Cooper Knowlton (Denver, Colo.), 34:05.6
5. Joseph Sedlak (Ann Arbor) 34:11.3
6. Cory Steuben, 34:17.6
7. Matthew Kulka (Traverse City), 34:24.8
8. Stephen McKenna (Ann Arbor), 35:58.4
9. James Teeple (Grand Blanc), 36:23.9
10. Kevin Walton (Hillsdale), 37:05.7
Top 10 women
1. Sherrie Teeple (Grand Blanc), 38:55
2. Peyton Boughton (Sturgis), 39:22.5
3. Emma Steppe (Ann Arbor), 39:38.7
4. Eileen Brandes (Ann Arbor), 40:08.4
5. Lizzy Duffy (Mundelein, Ill.), 40:17.1
6. Billy Fierros (Ann Arbor), 40:38.6
7. Sonia Kraftson (Ann Arbor), 41:13.0
8. Veronica Alatorre, 41:17
9. Molly Balentine (Ann Arbor), 41:28.7
10. Jessie Benaglio (Livonia), 41:31.1
5K RUN/WALK
Top 10 men
1. Dean Huffer (Ann Arbor), 15:44.9
2. Lindsey LaLonde (Ann Arbor), 15:57.0
3. Joshua Perrin (Ann Arbor), 16:14.2
4. Jacob Williams (Ann Arbor), 16:48.6
5. Tyler Belyea (Ann Arbor), 17:23.0
6. John Graham (Tekonsha), 17:41.9
7. Paul Mayer (Ann Arbor), 17:50.0
8. John Guittar (Ann Arbor), 18:12.9
9. Codey Cook (St. Johns), 18:16.9
10. Kevin Raftery, 18:23.3
Top 10 women
1. Kristina Olsen (Jackson), 18:38.3
2. Angie Sullivan (Ann Arbor), 18:45.2
3. Amy Coughlin (Waterford), 20:34
4. Camille Akemann (Ann Arbor), 21:14
5. Sarah Saylor (Niles), 21:26.3
6. Eliza Harris (Mattawan), 21:26.6
7. Yasmine White (Ann Arbor), 21:32
8. Sydney Kreger (Grosse Ile), 21:35.7
9. Carrie Swoish (Rochester Hills), 21:43.0
10. Skyler Gilchrest (Spring Lake), 21:45.1
Complete results can be found on the Running Fit website.
Angela Smith
Contributor
Have you always dreamed of running across the 50-yard line of the 'Big House?
I’ll be honest. I haven’t.
I am not a football fanatic, and I am really not a runner. My earliest memories of running include coming in last at the 100-yard dash at my elementary school’s field day. My first boyfriend in high school was a cross country star, and I remember going for a mile run with him, and cutting out midway complaining of cramps or asthma.
More after the jump…
Lisa Carolin
Contributor
BIG HOUSE BIG HEART RACE
Four-year-old Aidan Troxtel, who received a kidney transplant before he was 2, will participate in Sunday's Mott Mile, one of the events at the Big House Big Heart race.
Photo courtesy of Stacy Troxtel:
It's the second year for the event that pairs children who are outpatients at Mott Children's Hospital with student athletes at U-M. The event raises money for Mott.
"It's a celebration of the children, and a way for athletes and kids to connect and have fun," said Kelly Parent, Patient and Family Center Care Program manager at Mott, who expects close to 40 children to participate Sunday. "These are long term Mott kids who are cancer survivors, some in treatment, kids with congenital heart problems, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and those who have received organ transplants."
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