41st Annual Burns Park Run 2024

Short review

Winding through a beautiful Ann Arbor neighborhood near the University of Michigan campus, the tree-lined Burns Park Run loop course has been a favorite of beginner and world-class runners alike.

Now in it’s 40th year, the Burns Park Run will be held on Sunday, May 5th,  2019.  It is a long-standing and successful fundraiser, organized and run by volunteers, that supports Burns Park Elementary PTO programs.

Known for its family-friendly atmosphere, the Burns Park Run 5K and 10K races annually draw 1,000 to 1,500 runners aged 5 to 90 years, with over 200 elementary school kids running the 5K.  For the youngest of participants, there is a separate 1/2 mile Fun Run around the park.

Each year, a celebrity athlete provides running inspiration at the Burns Park Run. Past guests have included Olympians Jeff Porter, Emily Samuelson, Sada Jacobson, Cheryl Haworth, Cara Heads, Sheila Taormina, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Frank Shorter, Francie Goodridge, Gary Morgan, and Jackie Hansen – as well as 2016 Olympic Trials Qualifier and UM athlete Erin Finn, Runner’s World writer John Bingham (“The Penguin”), elite Kenyan-American runner Boaz Cheboiywe, and marathon legend Doug Kurtis.

The Burns Park Run was started by the PTO as a fundraiser for 6th grade campers in 1979. This Burns Park Elementary fundraiser has grown and symbiotically supported the activities  offered by our PTO to its students and their families. Today’s race is headed by 3 race co-directors and ~130 volunteers working throughout the year on planning, funding, marketing and staffing the Burns Park Run.

Read more about the storied and unique history of the Burns Park Run in the 2004 press article by marathon legend Doug Kurtis.