Running for a Cause

May 24, 2006

Michael Michaud is a member of a new generation of runners: those who put their best foot forward for a worthy cause.
Michaud and about 20 training pals are members of Team In Training, a non-profit organization that raises funds to seek a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma. He’s raised over $4,000 in pledges for the group while gradually increasing his training mileage to around 36 miles per week.
Director of Marketing at Grand Traverse Resort & Casinos, Michaud, 35, is running his first 26.2 mile race on June 4 when he competes in the Rock & Roll Marathon in San Diego. Many of his teammates will be running in this Saturday’s Bayshore Marathon on Mission Peninsula just outside Traverse City.
“My cousin has leukemia and it’s something she’s lived with all her life,” he says of his motivation to join Team In Training. “Another thing that motivated me was the fact that I could run with a group of people who would support me for my first marathon.”
Overall, an estimated 140 Team In Training runners from around the country will compete in Saturday’s event, raising around $325,000 for the cause, says Bayshore Race Director Lou Wojtowicz. He adds that the organization’s runners have raised $750,000 in the three years they’ve been associated with the Bayshore.
“People are more interested in participating in a healthier lifestyle and once they’ve achieved some of their running goals it’s these other causes that become important to them,” Wojtowicz says.
He notes that the Bayshore races bring around $1 million to the local economy and also spin off charitable donations from the Traverse City Track Club which hosts the race. Last year the club donated around $35,000 to local causes. Past causes have included $20,000 donated to local trails, over $10,000 to the Women’s Cancer Fund, resurfacing high school tracks, and purchasing a defibrillator for the TC Police Department.
Some 1,500 runners are expected for this year’s marathon, with up to 800 in the half-marathon and around 800 in the 10K.
The race has grown dramatically in popularity through the years. “I really think we put on a high quality race.People like coming here and the scenery is fantastic,” Wojtowicz says. “There aren’t many marathons in the country with 26 miles right along the water and we really have that blessing.”
Plus, the flat, fast course makes it a good Boston Marathon qualifier. Check it out: the Bayshore Marathon starts at 7 a.m. at Northwestern Michigan College, with the half-marathon beginning at 7:30 and the 10K at 8 a.m. For info, see
www.bayshoremarathon.org.