Esky Heritage Half Marathon

Escanaba’s 150th birthday is almost here, and a half-marathon will be part of the Esky 150 celebration.

The Heritage Half Marathon will take place on Saturday, July 6th. The 13.1-mile race begins at Van Cleve Park in Gladstone at 7:30 a.m., and the route continues along the Lake Michigan shoreline to downtown Escanaba, finishing at Ludington Park.

Even though more than 200 runners are registered, there’s room for more. Registration is still open, and it costs $85 for an individual or $300 for a team.

Since a race of this type has not been held in the Delta County area in recent memory, organizers have some tips to encourage community support and sportsmanship.

Spectators are encouraged to cheer on the runners anywhere along the route, but organizers ask anyone driving along the route to be cautious and respectful of the runners’ safety. If the weather is very warm, anyone along the route who might be willing to put out a sprinkler is encouraged to do so.

The race committee is also asking residents and businesses to limit parking on the north side of Ludington Street from the 18th Street block from 8 a.m. to 10:30 that morning. The first group of runners should reach Ludington Street by 8:30, and the final runners should be there at about 9:45. If the north side parking spaces are open, the runners will have a much easier time of it on Ludington, and the race committee says they’d appreciate it if businesses encourage their patrons to leave those spaces open.

Anyone who might be interested in helping conduct the race is encouraged to go to a volunteer meeting this Thursday, June 27th. The meeting will be in room 952 of the Heirman Center at Bay College. Race director Gina Zanon says that if you’d like to volunteer but cannot make it to that meeting, you should email her at gina.zanon@hannahvilleschool.net or call her at (906) 789-1296.