The Kalamazoo Area Runners organization offers both the chance to get in many miles of road running but also the chance to log those miles with fellow runners, making the whole experience a whole lot more fun, say members of the group.
While there has been a national and local decline in participation in running races, KAR has managed to grow in numbers over the past decade, to 1,400 today, and has maintained its title of the largest running club in Michigan.
In 2013, KAR was recognized nationally by the Road Runners Club of America with the runner-friendly community award. The organization prides itself on accepting people at all levels, speeds and distances.
“We embrace runners of all abilities,” said Bonnie Sexton, KAR president.
In 1979 KAR began as a grassroots non-profit organization. Today, KAR offers seven training programs ranging from marathon training to beginners in 5k training.
“Kalamazoo is an incredibly collaborative running community,” Sexton said.
KAR collaborates with other organizations in town to use the sport to build community and strengthen local organizations. For example, the organization works and fundraises for the Borgess “For the Health of It” series of races, which includes the Kalamazoo Marathon. KAR also works with Girls on the Run, a non-profit that supports active and healthy lifestyles for elementary-age girls.
And recently, it held the annual Run Through the Lights, a holiday fundraiser for the Loaves and Fishes food bank that draws hundreds of runners to downtown Kalamazoo for a 5K fun run through the seasonally lighted streets. Runners dress in costumes ranging from reindeer antlers to complete Santa outfits.
The organization was “created by people that love to run, for people who love to run,” said Scott Struck, a board member of KAR. The structure of the organization allows people to meet up different days of the week to hang out and enjoy running side by side with the friends they have grown to love.