Michigan Mile to Elevate Crim Festival of Races
$10,000 prize purse for iconic distance; 13th stop on the inaugural Bring Back the Mile Tour 2013; also inaugural High School Challenge
By Ross Maghielse, mlive.com
FLINT, Mich. -- Elite short-distance runners will get their own showcase stage in Flint this summer.
The Crim Festival of Races is moving the Michigan Mile event from Saturday to Friday, giving it a prime time slot and removing it from the shadows of the Crim’s famed 10-mile course. While the Michigan Mile is open to all runners and walkers, two heats have been set aside specifically for competitive runners.
The Crim Fitness Foundation is using its elite athlete recruiter Greg Meyer to recruit a field of top track professionals from around the world for the first Mile race at 7:15pm Friday, Aug. 23. That race -- the Professional Mile with a total cash prize purse of $10,000 -- will be followed by the Crim’s inaugural High School Challenge, which will feature high school teams and individuals in a competitive heat at 7:20pm before the Open Mile goes off at 7:30.
“We’re really excited about the Michigan Mile being on Friday now so it can get the attention that it deserves,” Crim Race Director Andrew Younger said. “I think there is so much potential for the Michigan Mile to really become a standout event. With us introducing the Professional Mile and the High School Challenge this year, the hope is that will add a lot of excitement and then be a great lead-in to the Crim on Saturday.”
The Michigan Mile will also feature a new course this year that goes around the U-M Flint campus downtown. While the Crim has had strong running talent for the one-Mile event in the past, this is the first year they’re specifically recruiting elite runners to compete and offering a cash prize.
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