2nd Ann Arbor Marathon hits streets Sunday: City officials confident good strategy in place

The second-annual Ann Arbor Marathon takes place this Sunday, starting on Main Street near the Big House and finishing at Elbel Field off Hill Street.

Between those two points, runners will make their way through a 26.2-mile course that promises to shut down portions of several city streets throughout the morning.

That means getting around town might be more of a challenge than usual, but city officials say they're hopeful a good plan is in place this year.

"I was somewhat unhappy with the marathon last year," said Mayor John Hieftje. "It created some real problems for our residents, so I set up some goals for the organizers and city staff and others who are working with them to minimize some of those problems.

"They've worked hard to remedy some of the problems and we're going to have a chance to see how it works," he said. "I hope they have great weather and a great run."

Last year's 26.2-mile trek shut down streets throughout the city on Father's Day, catching many residents and business owners off guard and disrupting traffic.

Organizers of the race, a group called Champions for Charity, have planned the route differently this year to minimize disruptions. They've been working to get the word out about the street closures and detours and are hoping no one is surprised this time.

"I think they've done a reasonably good job planning for it, but there will be inconveniences," said City Council Member Sabra Briere, D-1st Ward. "Anyone who needs to travel through town on Sunday really needs to look at the map of the street closings and get a sense of their options."

Organizers say the good news is some of the major arteries across town will be open all morning: Washtenaw Avenue, Huron Street, Stadium Boulevard and Plymouth Road.

But at different times, portions of Liberty Street, Geddes, westbound East Huron River Drive, southbound Huron Parkway, westbound Fuller Road and Fuller Court, southbound State Street and northbound Main Street will be affected.

Complete details of the street closures and instructions for how to get around Ann Arbor on marathon morning can be found on the Ann Arbor Marathon website.

The marathon begins at 6:30 a.m., with a half marathon and 5K at 7:30 a.m., and a 1.2-mile kids run at 8:30 a.m.

Runners from 45 states and seven countries are expected to visit Ann Arbor to run the marathon events. Among them is Jerry Johncock, who plans to celebrate his 85th birthday by running his 150th marathon. He's running to help raise funds for Big Hearts for Seniors.

The marathon is raising funds for a number of local charities. A portion of the entry fees go to the Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation.

Mike Highfield, founder of race sponsor Champions for Charity, told AnnArbor.com in April in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings he potentially would be talking with local police about heightening police presence during the upcoming race.

He said already there were a number of security measures in place, including private overnight guards, but he was interested in seeing what more could be done.

Hieftje said he couldn't comment on the Ann Arbor Police Department's strategy, but he's confident there will be an appropriate level of police presence on Sunday.

Roughly 3,300 people participated in last year's Ann Arbor Marathon. City officials noted that's much smaller than the 20,000 participants and half-million spectators the Boston Marathon draws.

Hieftje pointed out the Ann Arbor Marathon doesn't even begin to compare to the crowds local police are used to dealing with when 100,000-plus fans pack into the Big House on football Saturdays.

"Our police officers are extremely well-trained and highly educated and they will be, as a matter of course, doing everything that needs to be done," Hieftje said.

"I would hope there wouldn't be anybody who would be dissuaded by what happened in Boston," he added. "This is a much lower-profile event, and I think as Americans we need to keep doing what we do and not allow our lifestyles to be affected by terrorism."

City Council Member Sally Hart Petersen, D-2nd Ward, has been training for the marathon and said she looks forward to Sunday's race.

"I'm excited to get it done and to do it," she said. "I'm excited there is a marathon in Ann Arbor because I've been to other cities and run marathons and I've seen what it does for a community."

Petersen also said she hopes what happened in Boston doesn't prevent anyone from wanting to run Sunday's marathon. She said her main concern is the weather.

"I'm just keeping an eye on the weather," she said. "June 9 is a little late for a marathon. I'm worried about the heat, obviously, but right now it looks like it will start out in the high 50s."

The Ann Arbor City Council took action in March to approve a series of street closures for the marathon. But after Champions for Charity had the course certified by USA Track and Field, it was determined the course was seven-tenths of a mile short for a true marathon.

The additional closing of one lane of eastbound Plymouth Road between Huron Parkway and Bishop was approved by the City Council in May to make up for the discrepancy.

Organizers said the new route for this year's marathon has been designed to minimize the impact on traffic and pedestrians, as well as bus services. The most significant change is the complete removal of Washtenaw Avenue from the course.

This year's route also takes advantage of the East Stadium Boulevard bridges being reopened. The route follows the northern sidewalk over the bridges and down to Main Street.

With the bridges closed last year, the course went down State Street to Briarwood Mall, and then up South Main Street to Ann Arbor-Saline Road, and through the Stadium/Main intersection. Runners still will go down to Briarwood Mall, but they'll just go out and back on State Street this time.

"It's unfortunate there were a lot of challenges to last year's marathon with regard to notification of street closures on Father's Day on a Sunday morning," Petersen said. "But I think the street closings are for good reason here, and the word is out."

Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.