The Brian Mickelsen Memorial Run/Walk will be held on Saturday, April 13, marking the 11th year of honoring the late Cottonwood City Manager Brian Mickelsen through outdoor activity.
An avid runner, Mickelsen died Aug. 18, 2007, while jogging on Bill Grey Road.
Hundreds of locals, as well as athletes from all over the state and even country, will come to the Verde Valley to run through the land on the edge of Cottonwood and Clarkdale.
But this year, Cottonwood’s Parks and Recreation Department has ended the full marathon that has been in place even longer than the event in Mickelsen’s honor. There will be four events this year — the 2-miler, 10K, half- marathon and an all-new 5 kilometer race.
“Memorial races typically only have about a six-year time frame when they’re really successful, and going into our 11th year, we realized we need to shake some things up,” said Jack Teel, a recreation coordinator for the Cottonwood Parks and Recreation Department who handles the Brian Mickelsen Memorial Run/Walk. “It’s been the same courses, same people running these courses for the last eight, nine years.” Teel said. “Our numbers have stayed the same in all the other races but the marathon numbers have continued to drop.”
According to Teel, the marathon boasted 76 participants in 2014, its peak year. In the following year, it dropped all the way to 54, then to 31. Last year it was just 25.
“The data doesn’t lie,” Teel said. “It’s a beautiful marathon. You’re not going to find a better marathon. But when you’re just limited on your resources and want to reach the broadest range of people, you have to look at ultimately what’s best, and we felt that removing the marathon and adding that 5K, that would appeal to a broader range.”
Parks and Rec felt that the wide popularity of 5K runs would make it a good addition to the roster, hopefully bringing in more runners than the marathon had in recent years. Additionally, a shorter race is easier for the department’s staff to manage.
Teel acknowledges some sadness in losing the marathon, which served as a Boston marathon qualifier and has been recognized by runners as among the best in the state. But he said that the city is working with Mickelsen’s family to keep the spirit of the whole event alive even as it changes.
He also said he hopes that the half-marathon will serve as a good alternative for anyone trying to take in all the scenery of the area as they might have in previous years with the marathon.
“We still keep our half-marathon, which essentially has all the beauty of the full, just without having to run all the way out to Sycamore,” Teel said. “So we are still able to keep the large portion of the course that has the beauty, that has that uniqueness. You’re still running through Dead Horse [Ranch State Park], you’re still running through Tuzigoot [National Monument], you’re still running through Blazing M [Ranch], you’re still running through Riverfront Park. All those major aspects of the race are still kept through that half-marathon, and I think that’s the major reason why we decided to move away from the marathon and add the 5K.”
Jon Hecht can be reached at 282-7795 or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
