Andy Younger is the man in charge of the biggest day of the year. As director of the Health Plus Crim Festival of Road Races, he oversees every tent, water bottle and volunteer on the fourth Saturday of August when the city is packed with people from all over the world. This is Andy’s second stint at the helm of Race Day, and he says there are hundreds of people and volunteers who make Flint’s best event run smoothly. So, what does race day look like for the man at the top? My City Magazine caught up with him to find out.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Andy and several other key players actually spend the night at the Crim office. Andy sets up air mattresses and bunks with his team to ensure they will be up bright and early on Race Day.
SATURDAY, RACE DAY
4-4:30 AM
The day begins with lots of coffee and a left-over bagel. “By this time, we’re running on pure adrenaline,” says Andy. “We’re already exhausted from Friday’s onemile race, but exhilarated knowing that we’re creating an event that will be enjoyed by 60,000 people.”
5:30 AM
Andy touches base with the course manager, who communicates via radio with volunteers walking the course to make sure it is ready, checking that water and emergency stations are set up.
6:30 AM
People are starting to show up for the race – same-day registers, participants, spectators, volunteers, etc. “The entire course has to be completely closed to traffic by 7am, so we’re in a hurry,” explains Andy. Volunteers are bustling about getting pizza and beverages ready, and food vendors are setting up their stations. 7 AM
The deejay gets started and Announcer Michael Dach arrives.
7:30 AM
Andy meets with the Crim Presenting Sponsors, dignitaries and the media, a big part of his job. He’s now positioned atop the scaffolding to watch the start of each race. The Wheeler Race begins, allowing those participants to cross the finish line before the race schedule continues.
7:50 AM
According to tradition, runners who have participated in 30 or more Crim races enjoy the privilege of starting ten minutes early. Spectators cheer wildly as they cross the start line. About three minutes before 8am, the crowd becomes silent as the Star Spangled Banner is sung.
8 AM
Everything is in place and everyone is prepared. “This is when I can breathe my first sigh of relief,” he laughs. Andy does not see much of the race as he hurries off to the finish line to prepare for the post-race events. “I mainly focus on the start and finish line and the festival area,” he says.
8:15 AM
The last runner crosses the starting line. Approximately half an hour later, the first runner crosses the finish line. “I like to be there to congratulate the winners,” Andy says. “It’s a real thrill to do that; you can just feel their elation. I wish I could congratulate all the runners!”
10:30 AM
Andy catches a glimpse of his wife Elena and their twin daughters Isabella and Cenna during the 5K Walk. “I get to see them for the first time in three days,” Andy shares. “I almost cried when I saw them last year.” In between the races, Andy talks to the media and connects with sponsors and other dignitaries. He checks in with the timing company, making sure it is all set.
11 AM
The awards ceremony takes place. Andy welcomes local politicians, community leaders and honored guests during the ceremony and presents awards to the over-all race winners.
12 NOON
The final race of the day, the Teddy Bear Trot, begins.
3 PM
The festival comes to an end and cleanup begins. “The cleanup happens amazingly fast,” Andy explains. It takes an entire village to get it done: a professional company moves the trash, the tent comes down, tables are folded and the banners, chairs and barricades removed. Cleanup is completed by 4:30 or 5pm. “You almost wouldn’t know that 60,000 people were just here!” exclaims Andy, who must take some time from cleanup to connect with the media.
5:30-7 PM
It’s time to go home. Last year, Andy said he was too tired to celebrate. “I was just happy to see my family and to have another great event go so successfully.”
Race Day means a great deal to many people, according to Andy. It has become an honored tradition for family gatherings and joyful celebrations associated around the Crim. “It’s almost a family holiday for many people,” Andy says. “What a privilege it is for me to be a part of that.”
Here’s a question asked by many Flint area residents who are familiar with the Crim. Why do runners from Kenya always win the ten-mile run in the Health Plus Crim Festival of Races? Since 1992, a person of Kenyan nationality has won the race 19 times! Just how do the Kenyan competitors run so fast? MCM went to an expert to see if we could get the answers.
Greg Meyer is the Elite Athlete Coordinator for the Crim and a well-known runner himself, having won the ten-mile race in 1978. “Running was my life for a number of years,” he recalls. As the winner of the Boston Marathon in 1983, he was the last American to win the famed marathon until this very year. He also set ten American Road Racing records and two world records and is a seven-time winner of the River Bank Run in his hometown of Grand Rapids, just to name a few of his accomplishments. Now it’s Greg’s job to bring in elite competitors from around the world for the Crim on a decidedly modest budget.
Elite international runners began participating in the Crim early on. “The city of Flint adopted the foreign runners as part of the race fabric almost since the beginning,” says Greg. For the past three years, Julius Kogo from Kenya has won the ten-mile race, and he will return this year to attempt a fourth win. Greg, however, hopes to see some real competition. “I don’t want to see one guy out there running alone,” he laughs. “I like to see the crowd get excited as they witness a close race!” When speaking with My City Magazine, Greg was still in the process of deciding on whom his budget will be spent. At that time, 11 elite female athletes and 11 male athletes were locked in for 2014. Greg explained that all of the Kenyan runners have agents, and he receives many calls and e-mails, but not all of the hopefuls have the level of experience necessary to compete.
As to why athletes from Kenya are such good long distance runners, one study suggests it is due to their extreme thinness. That same study suggests that it could also be because they spend their childhood “training” by running/walking to school and working in the fields. Another study suggests that their athleticism is genetic. Greg explains it this way, “For the Kenyans, Ethiopians and Africans in general, racing is the primary sport.” Hundreds of Africanss have made a career of running in races all around the country, he explained. “They become a runner and that is how they make their living; there are many Africans racing all over the United States.” And while the winnings may only amount to $1,000 every other month, this makes the Kenyan runners very wealthy by their country’s standard.
The Vehicle city has truly embraced the Kenyan competitors, according to Race Director Andy Younger, and having world class runners at the Crim spotlights the city in
a positive way, he says. He also said the elite runners receive great hospitality from city residents, and shared one example from last year. Unlike many runners, those from Kenya do not prefer to “carb up” by eating the heavy pasta meal traditionally served the night before the race. Instead, they want to prepare a traditional Kenyan meal of Ugali, a light and bland dish of tomatoes, cabbage, collard greens, onions and corn meal dough. Elite Hospitality Coordinator Rosanne Heddy made that happen by arranging for the Kenyan runners to use the kitchen at The Lunch Studio in Downtown Flint. “Many of the Kenyan runners don’t speak English, and this is the diet they are used to eating, so it reminds them of home and provides comfort while in a strange country,” Andy says. This year, he hopes to arrange for use of the kitchen at the Community Center located in the new Farmers’ Market.
Greg Meyer looks forward to this year’s Crim. “It’s always a good Crim,” he smiled. “Elite athletes are the icing on the cake, but it’s the thousands of other runners who ARE the Crim. The Kenyans enhance our event, but it’s everyone together that makes the Crim what it is.”
What keeps Mark lacing up his shoes and hitting area roads on a regular basis? “I just like feeling healthy,” he says. “I haven’t felt anything but healthy my whole life. Before I started running I felt healthy because I was young, and running has kept me feeling that way.”
