An event that has a 48-year history and brings thousands of runners, walkers, wheelers, and hand cyclists through the city each year obviously has many traditions with a legacy like that. Some of the deepest traditions are along the course, not directly on it, though.
Nathan Simmons throws a party in the yard of his home on Bradley Avenue each year, including purchasing water, beer, and making Jello shots for any runners who would like to partake. In the past, he’s even cooked and handed out bacon to people as they pass by. And many need something extra at that point as his home is situated just after the treacherous Bradley Hills.
“All the people coming this way just get through like the worse part of the course, and we’re right here,” Simmons said, adding that it’s “amazing” seeing how happy many of the participants get to see a big party with music, fun costumes, and a large group of supporters waiting for them after conquering the hills.
Although the history of his party isn’t quite as old as the Crim itself, it has been going on for 27 years now. And Simmons’ own history of watching the race from that location dates back even further.
”This was my grandparents’ house,” Simmons said. “We came here and I would watch it on the steps right there as a kid.”
Simmons said that his favorite part of the race is seeing the wheelers come through each year, but he also just enjoys the overall atmosphere and community feeling that exists on Crim day.
“Just giving people water or beer, seeing them come up the hill, just trying their best,” he said, when asked what he enjoys most about the Crim. “And people just having fun. It’s just nice and it feels good to give back to the community.”
While Simmons and his party are waiting at the end of the hills, volunteers from HAP have made a home for themselves at the beginning of the Hills, right as runners make the turn off of Sunset Drive and look up at the looming challenges ahead of them.
“It’s wonderful to help keep the energy going and push them forward,” said Kateena Rickman, one of HAP’s volunteers. “We’ve been doing this for the past, like four or five years, and it has been great.”
Rickman herself is in her second year of volunteering at the Crim, and admires the tenaciousness of all of the participants as they climb the hills.
“I mean them coming up this hill seems very hard, but we love being out here cheering them on and it just helps keep them going,” Rickman said. “That’s my favorite part.”
Qiana Dawson usually walks the Crim, but this year was tasked with organizing a cheering section near the 1-mile marker of the 10-mile race. She recruited residents from Clark Commons and Smith Village to participate, resulting in some creative signs offering racers gigantic high fives and encouragement.
Dawson said her favorite part of the race is seeing people who think they may not be able to make it, but they don’t give up and get through it.
“We’re looking for those people in the crowd to cheer them on,” she said. “You never know what it takes to get somebody to this point, so we wanna make sure they make it to the finish line.”
The group also featured several kids handing out water and supporting runners and walkers, some of them seeing the race up close for the first time.
“It’s been awesome,” Dawson said. “Everybody’s cheering in place and they’re doing a great job.”
Lonny Newell, a Flint native, was a first-time Crim volunteer through Genesee Health System. GHS had a water station near Carriage Town Bakery, and Newell was excited to participate and support the many runners and walkers.
“I love it, it’s a good thing for the community,” said Newell, whose son was also volunteering at the Crim for the first time. “It’s really impressive seeing all these people come together and just do this.”
Luke Dimich, a Goodrich resident, was watching the race from the yard of his cousin’s house in Carriage Town. In addition to watching and cheering on runners, including several family members who were racing, he was also helping host a party featuring bounce houses and other activities for kids.
“My wife is running the race and two of my cousins are running, so we all come out and cheer for them when they run by,” Dimich said, adding that the kids have really enjoyed the festivities.
“They’ve been very excited and they couldn’t wait to come here and blow bubbles,” he said. “We’ve been coming here for five years and just having a little morning party with all the kids and it’s a lot of fun to come out and cheer for everybody.”
Little kids weren’t the only ones getting their first Crim experience. A group of Kettering University students volunteered at a water station on campus, including some who were seeing the Crim for the first time. Members of the Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE) fraternity and Alpha Phi sorority were among the students along the course.
Aidan O’Neill, a sophomore mechanical engineering major originally from Alma, wasn’t on campus last year during the Crim so he was seeing it for the first time.
“I think it’s really cool, it is a surprising amount of people,” he said. “I think it’s really great that so many people get out here, and I also saw a couple of buddies run by. That’s kind of a big reason why I’m out here. I didn’t really feel like running it, but came out here to support my buddies.”
Nearby, members of the Mott Middle College Steelheads led by James Coviac were performing in partnership with the Flint Institute of Music.
“This is the biggest party Flint has, it’s nice to be involved,” said Diane Alderson, community programs coordinator at the FIM. “It’s difficult for them to get up this early, but they love being here and playing here. It’s exciting for them. The Steelheads are a big deal, we’re so happy to have them here.”
Hillary Trinckel has been involved with the Crim for a number of years, many of them as a participant. But this year, she was introducing a younger group from Loree’s Academy of Dance to the event.
“It’s their first time out on the course,” she said. “They love it, they’ve had a lot of fun and been able to perform a lot more and for a lot of people today.”
Ashley Strozier, the family mobility coordinator with Communities First, Inc., led a block party in front of CFI’s The Grand on University building.
“This is our neighborhood, we have neighbors living here, so we want to make sure as people pass that second mile marker, they’re feeling the love and encouragement from us,” Strozier said. “We brought music and noisemakers and are just here to have a great time. It’s just all good vibes.”
Rob Jewell, also known as ‘the jewell’ (NOT uppercase), has been greeting runners entering Mott Park off of Chevrolet Avenue for 12 or 13 years at a spot known as ‘champagne corner’ (also definitely NOT uppercase). He’s near a spot called ‘Cashew Point’ that hosted a famous party along the course, but when they stopped, the jewell stepped up to offer runners encouragement and some champagne as they entered the neighborhood.
Along with the famous cashew-shaped turn into the neighborhood, that section of the course is also important because it is near the 4-mile mark of the 10-mile race.
“I see people I’ve known throughout the community or people who see this as a marker point in the race,” the jewell said. “The 3-mile marker is down near Kettering, and so coming up here, just as you turn to come in here, this becomes kind of a recognition point to enhance and cheer people on and encourage them.”
As the jewell gives people motivation about a mile from the race’s midpoint, Dan Moilanen has built a tradition of encouraging runners about a mile from the finish line by just throwing a wild party in his front yard in the Grand Traverse Neighborhood for the last five years.
”I think it’s just like the energy of it. It’s such a community thing,” Moilanen said. “It’s about just supporting people when they’re doing something that’s physically challenging. Whether they’re running 10 miles or during the five mile or 5K, it’s just like, hey, this is the last bit of the race, you should be celebrating as you’re ending it!”
Moilanen’s party includes music, dancing, people holding funny signs or wearing funny t-shirts, beer, and more antics that always make the final portion of the race entertaining.
“It’s fun as hell, man,” Moilanen said. “Like, everyone comes and hangs out and we have a good time doing it. And like it’s just positivity. It’s all smiles, even if someone doesn’t grab a beer or whatever, people are at least smiling as they walk by, and I think at the end of the day, it’s raising spirits when people need it the most, you know?”
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