Adventure Races, 5Ks, and Fun Runs Around Grand Rapids!
No matter the season, there is always a variety of races in Grand Rapids! From marathons to adventure races to fun runs for the whole family, Grand Rapids is an active community when it comes to running events! Here are a few to try!
This past month the 1st ever Bass River Adventure Race took place; hosted by CrossFit Allendale! If you have never heard of this type of race, it is a race built for people who love to get outdoors, explore different terrain, and use their fitness. The race included checkpoints (flags) to be found by foot, bike, and across the water area by kayak or canoe. Just under 30 checkpoints and a bonus featuring BigFoot! The event was capped at a 6-hour window and the only tool given was a map with checkpoints laid out with some clues to point you in the right direction! It was a fun event that made for a challenging workout while collecting checkpoints. It was also one of the biggest sanctioned events ever for Bass River Recreation Area!
Link to more information: https://www.bikereg.com/65419
Coming up are a few cool other events! Check out some of the races and dates below to plan out your next adventure!
The University of Michigan Health-West Grand Rapids Marathon- This event is on Sunday, October 20th with 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon, Relay Marathon, and Handcycle Marathon. This is a large race format with over 4,000 participants! There is a bit of everything going on with different distances to choose from and even the relay version to break it up into a team event! Great time of year to run through and around the city of Grand Rapids!
Full race details here: https://runsignup.com/Race/MI/GrandRapids/GRMarathon
Over at Millenium park the Spooky Sprint offers racing for the whole family! Taking place on Sunday October 13th, a Halloween-themed event with kids dashes for participants 10 and under, 1-miler, 5K, 10K and Half Marathon distances. The mission of this event is Fun. Family. Fitness. ‘Bodies’ is the event promotor and they built the foundation on family, health and unity. While small they make a mighty impact on communities across the Midwest!
Check out this race and others they put on: https://runscore.runsignup.com/Race/MI/Walker/SpookySprintGrandRapids
Finally a Dirty Duel event over a Robinette’s Orchard later this fall! On November 9th, this 5k has a couple options! 2 dueling courses! Runners will split off right after the start in a mad dash back to the finish. Pick from the Short & Brutal course with lots of roots, short, steep climbs, and some crazy off-trail running or the Long & Difficult course that has more mileage and plenty of twists and turns but never leaves the trail and features more flat and fast orchard trails. But don’t worry after this event either path you choose leads to a ‘fresh out of the oven” and guilt-free donut and cider, sharing your experience with friends and family!
Sign up and more information: https://dirtyduel.com/
