Greg Adams e-Race the Stigma 5K is Saturday in Adrian

ADRIAN — Runners and walkers of all ages and abilities will converge on the streets of downtown Adrian this weekend and participate in one of Lenawee County’s largest and most popular 5K public races, which has been renamed in memory of the race’s founder.

The Greg Adams e-Race the Stigma 5K will return to Adrian for the eighth time Saturday, Oct. 1. All activities with the race are set to begin at 9 a.m.

The run has been named in memory of Adams, who was one of Lenawee County’s leading advocates for mental health services. Adams, 48, of Adrian died Feb. 13 from injuries sustained after being hit by a vehicle the morning of Feb. 7 in Adrian while jogging on Howell Highway. He resigned earlier this year from the Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority board, where he had been chairman, after being hired by the LCMHA as a peer support specialist.

Since his death seven months ago, Adams’ commitment to making mental health and substance abuse services available and known to people in Lenawee County has been carried out by many hands. Renaming the run in his memory, which he started in 2014, was something the LCMHA did earlier this year.

“We want to continue remembering his name and what he was passionate about, which was raising awareness to mental health and substance use disorders, and the care that is available to people here in Lenawee County,” Karen Rawlings, executive administrative assistant at LCMHA, said. “(Greg) designed this run so that it can have a positive effect on your mental health.”

Rawlings has been the main person in charge at the LCMHA in coordinating this year’s running and walking event, which for a second straight year is being conducted in the fall.

Prior to the pandemic, the e-Race the Stigma 5K was in May during Mental Health Awareness Month. Because of lingering concerns about the pandemic in 2021, the race, which returned as an in-person event last year, was delayed until September. For this year, coupled with organizational issues of getting the run back to May in such a short time and Adams’ death in February, the run is once again being held later in the year.

That still shouldn’t prevent people from heading to downtown Adrian Saturday morning for the same run they have supported for several years, Rawlings said.

As of Tuesday, there were 374 people signed up for the 5K, Rawlings said. She is hoping that number continues to climb in the coming days. Some previous editions of the run had nearly 1,000 participants.

Last year’s run had almost 700 registrants in its bounce-back year from the pandemic.

Preregistering for the run can be completed at tinyurl.com/54u5mzbz up until midnight Friday, Sept. 30, for $15. Day-of-the-run registration is $20. Those registering prior to the race Saturday should arrive between 8 and 8:30 a.m. to ensure they are properly registered before the event begins. T-shirts for the run will be available for all who preregistered. Depending on the supply of shirts, there might not be extra shirts available the morning of the race.

The kids' dash will open the event at 9 a.m. and is expected to last about 20 minutes. It will be followed by the runners and walkers participating in the 5K. The cost to be in the kids' dash is $5.

All kids' dash participants will receive a medal. Medals will be given to the top three 5K finishers in each age group, male and female, as well as prizes for the first male and first female across the finish line.

There are some new routes this year for both the kids' dash and the 5K, Rawlings said.

The kids' dash will begin at Rice and Barley Taphouse, 101 E. Maumee St., and head toward Chomp Burger, 240 N. Main St., before heading back to the starting point. The dash will not veer off East Maumee or North Main streets, Rawlings said.

The 5K, which is traditionally conducted near the farmers market pavilion along Toledo Street, has been relocated to the four corners of downtown Adrian this year, at the intersection of Main and Maumee streets. The course will take participants along West Maumee Street to North McKenzie Street, north to Riverside Avenue, east to Springbrook Avenue, south to West Maple Avenue, east to Main Street, then south to the starting location.

To accommodate the event, the city of Adrian will close Main Street between East Church and Toledo streets and East Maumee Street between North Main and North Broad streets at 7 a.m. Saturday. The streets are expected to reopen at 11 a.m., the city said in a news release. On-street parking will not be permitted in the closure areas, but parking will be available in the city-owned parking lots. Surrounding businesses are expected to remain open.

There will be guides and barricades directing people along the course, Rawlings said. The Adrian College pep band and its dance team will pump people up at the start line, and during the course the Adrian High School cheerleaders will encourage runners as they make their way past Adrian High School along Riverside Avenue.

In addition to remembering Adams with renaming the run in his honor, LCMHA Executive Director Kathryn Szewczuk and some of Adams’ family members, including his parents, Tom and Barbara, and his sister, Carrie, will share words prior to the start of the event, Rawlings said.

The race is a collaborative effort between the LCMHA, ProMedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital, Family Medical Center, the city of Adrian and the Sage Foundation. The goal of the event is to increase the awareness of mental health issues, with a focus on overall health and wellness, mind, body and spirit.

When it started, the 5K addressed Adams’ passion for mental and physical health. He came up with the idea for the e-Race because of his own experience using exercise as part of the treatment regimen he used after being diagnosed bipolar. He originally took up running to lose weight and to improve his physical fitness.

Anywhere from $15,000 to $20,000 is generated from the race, with that money benefiting mental health services in the county.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Greg Adams e-Race the Stigma 5K is Saturday in Adrian