Michael, Author at Run Mi 5k

June 26, 2020September 3, 2023

Clare

Clare County Run

Creig and I getting ready to do this run. Thanks for running with me!

My grandparents home where my sister Lisa now lives. I remember watching the trains go by as a child through that large window behind the stop sign.

Across the road from downtown. They now have a Caboose on display near where the train tracks were.

Down the now trail is the old water tower. Or maybe it was a coal tower… It’s been there all my life.

Road, I’ve learned that I can’t take pictures while I’m running or they turn out like this…

Park where I played basketball and other stuff as a child.

This is the small ice cream shop my parents owned as a kid. Also the end of my run. I ran around Perch lake, where I used to fish (a lot) as a child.

Really wasn’t much planning for this county. I’ve lived in this county for a few years of my young life. I’ve spent time in Harrison, Clare, and Farwell, but I was introduced to this county by my grandparents home in Lake. This is a small town just outside of Farwell. It has two lakes, Perch lake and Crooked lake. My grandparents owned several homes in this town. I remember this town very well and was glad to run on the rails to trails route. The same route where I used to watch trains pass along as a very young child. Very much enjoyed doing this run as this town brings back so many memories. Also, as a teen-ager my family owned the Dairy Fill, which was a little ice cream shop now called the Whistle Stop. When my parents owned it, we had an arcade in the back room. My parents now live there as well as both sisters.

Clare County

Arthur
Clare
Farwell
Franklin
Freeman
Frost
Garfield
Grant
Greenwood
Hamilton
Harrison
Hatton
Hayes
Lake Station
Lake Station
Lincoln
Redding
Sheridan
Summerfield
Surrey
Winterfield

Any place in Bold and Red are townships / towns / cities I’ve run a 5k for the county run (or the closest city to my county run)

Any place in Bold and Blue are townships / towns / cities I’ve run anytime in the past.

Any place in Bold and Green are townships / towns / cities I’ve done website / hosting / design work – best website builder for small business – WordPress design hosting and search engine optimization. I’m a small business website builder – contact me to get a website that works! If no Green color is on this page, please talk with me (Click Here). I’ll be encouraged to change one to Green!

June 8, 2020September 3, 2023

Grand Traverse

Grand Traverse County Run

The VASA 5k is a trail that I have run fairly frequent. (also biked) But this year I’ve only ran it twice. It is a hilly run that is for sure hard, but not impossible. Hoping this year to be able to ski it in the winter. I’ve never cross country skied here before.

The start of the trail. It is very well marked with several different distances.

Breaking off of the main trail on to the 5k trail, this is when it starts getting hilly. This runner passed me on my run.

This is a section before it meets up with the main trail.

Bad photo but this is a VERY steep terrain. I’m learning to pause running when I take photos!

Love the signs at the end of the trail. I didn’t donate that day, but often do. My last donation was last year after my last “bike” ride of the season.
There’s no doubt I’ll continue to run this trail several time before I complete this runmi5k project.

This was my second run a month later and it was MUCH faster. 1:25 faster!

Again faster than the first one, would have been nice to see even more improvement, but not this go. But was so happy to have run under 10-minute miles in my past 5k race. Hoping to be able to someday do this route in under 30 minutes.

This is my home. I’ve run all over this county. Most of my runs are on the tart trial at the base of East Bay, at the Civic Center, the Vasa Trail or along Boardman Lake. I’ve also run several seasons with the Traverse City Track Club. I’m confident this will be the first county that is complete. However, I would love to hear from you if you have a suggestion for a particular area that I haven’t run before. At some point, I’d like to run a full marathon and I could see the Bayshore Marathon being my first. I’ve run a few half marathons and Bayshore 1/2. I’ve also run the Bayshore 10k multiple times. Back in 2005, I began my running by signing up for a couch to 5k class lead by Lisa Taylor, the High School’s Track and Cross Country coach. I was shocked that I took to it. Once finished with my C25k I immediately ran a 10k. It was difficult by totally doable and I was shocked that I was able to run the whole thing. I’ve run a lot since then but I’ve gone back and forth between being in shape and needing to start from “almost” scratch several times.

Grand Traverse County

Acme
Acme
Blair
East Bay
East Bay
Fife Lake
Garfield
Garfield
Grant
Green Lake
Kingsley
Kingsley
Long Lake
Mayfield
Old Mission Peninsula
Paradise
Peninsula
Traverse City
Traverse City
Union
Whitewater

Any place in Bold and Red are townships / towns / cities I’ve run a 5k for the county run (or the closest city to my county run)

Any place in Bold and Blue are townships / towns / cities I’ve run anytime in the past.

May 25, 2020September 3, 2023

Wexford

Wexford County Run

The start of this very long journey. This was my first run for the runmi5k goal.

Ran for a while before I was able to get a glimpse of the lake.

Was cool to see the lake right up by the road.

Looks like it would be a great Lake to live on.

One of the coolest views! What a wonderful run.

My son lives in Wexford County, and we go there often to visit him and his family, but most importantly, my grand-daughter Melody.

Was trying to find a place near his home and found a lake that looked like it was about 3 miles to run around it. Thought this could be perfect. I then went on to a map site to plan my route, that is when I discovered the name of this lake – Lake Gitchegumee!

It was then that I knew this should be my first run. My parents own a cabin on another lake sometimes called Lake Gitchegumee (Lake Superior). I thought how cool would it be to say I’ve ran all the way around Lake Gitchegumee!

So this was the run that could start them all!

Wexford County

Antioch
Boon
Buckley
Buckley
Buckley
Cadillac
Cadillac
Cedar Creek
Cherry Grove
Clam Lake
Colfax
Greenwood
Hanover
Haring
Harrietta
Henderson
Liberty
Manton
Mesick
Selma
Slagle
South Branch
Springville
Wexford

Any place in Bold and Red are townships / towns / cities I’ve run a 5k for the county run (or the closest city to my county run)

Any place in Bold and Blue are townships / towns / cities I’ve run anytime in the past.

April 21, 2020September 3, 2023

Muskegon

Muskegon County Run

Here is a run that I planned last night. I was trying to get to a county that wouldn’t require a night stay somewhere. But I’m running out of these types of counties. I’m going to have to travel and stay somewhere in many other counties in the future. Luckily, campgrounds should open up soon because of summer. Lisa and I can travel around throughout the summer. Lisa doesn’t really like this idea, and I have mixed feelings. I HATE driving long distances. I do enjoy seeing new sites and am enjoying all the new places that I’m running across. I think, in the end, I will be pleased that I chose to do this, but I’m guessing there will be a time or two that I question my sanity.

One cool thing about the above plan is I will be able to knock several counties off in a weekend. I’m guessing three in a weekend should be doable. That means if I visit the northwest UP twice and knock out 3-4 counties over a long weekend, I should be able to complete the west in only two to three trips up there.

Muskegon County

Blue Lake
Casnovia
Cedar Creek
Dalton
Egelston
Fruitland
Fruitport
Holton
Laketon
Lakewood Club
Montague
Moorland
Muskegon
Muskegon Heights
North
Norton Shores
Ravenna
Roosevelt Park
Sullivan
Whitehall
White River

Any place in Bold and Red are townships / towns / cities I’ve run a 5k for the county run (or the closest city to my county run)

Any place in Bold and Blue are townships / towns / cities I’ve run anytime in the past.

January 1, 2020October 9, 2025

Keweenaw

Keweenaw County Run

The boat that took us to the Island was The Isle Royale Queen IV

Our first glimpse of the island!

This was my final Michigan 5K. I did complete the full 5K distance—possibly even more—but unfortunately, my phone died during the run. Poor cell service on the island drained the battery quickly, which meant I wasn’t able to record the entire route.

The run took place on Isle Royale, located in the northernmost part of Michigan. (all the way across lake SuperiorGetting there was a journey in itself. I started with an eight-hour drive to Copper Harbor, where I met my parents at a campground for the night. The next morning, we boarded the Isle Queen VI, a ferry that took 3 hours and 45 minutes to reach the island—the remote and rugged setting for my final run.

My parents offered to watch my bag while I ran my final 5K. As you’ll see in the following photos, this was an extremely rocky and uneven trail, making the run physically challenging from the start. What made it even more stressful was the announcement from the welcoming guide on the island. She told us we needed to be back at the boat by 2:15 PM, and at that moment, it was already 1:00 PM.

To make matters worse, she mentioned she was the only EMT on the island, and if anyone got injured, it would take a very long time to get to a hospital. I’m certain this heightened my parents’ anxiety about me heading out alone on such a dangerous and remote trail.

The trail started out smooth and peaceful—a perfect beginning for my final Michigan 5K.

But the terrain quickly changed. Sharp rocks and narrow, raised wooden boardwalks made every step a careful calculation. Twisting an ankle felt like a real risk.

The views along the trail were absolutely breathtaking—some of the most scenic I’ve ever seen in Michigan. But in the back of my mind, I was constantly worried about getting back to the boat on time.

The trail was well-marked, but it never seemed to level out—always climbing, always rocky.

Every now and then, the dense forest would open up, revealing stunning views of Lake Superior. This photo is facing east, toward the endless blue.

If I wasn’t climbing, I was descending—always over rocks, making every stride a challenge.

This point in the trail was about a mile into the run, spirits high.

Knowing the time crunch and the island’s remoteness, I began to think about my parents. I’m sure they were anxious about me running off alone, so I decided to turn back early.

Thankfully, the trail was easy to retrace. Even deep in Isle Royale’s backcountry, the path home was clear.

I’m sure my parent were worried about me getting lost or hurt so I decided to turn around.

The trail was super simple to find my way back.

As I got closer to the boat, the trail finally began to even out, allowing me to pick up the pace again.

Getting closer to the dock now—probably a quarter mile away from the boat. My final Michigan 5K was almost complete.

Once I returned to where my parents were waiting, I told them I still had about a mile to go. I chose to finish the run on flatter ground, looping back to the boat launch, then climbing a ridge toward the center of the island.

At the top, I found a few rustic homes—some already built, some under construction. Looking west, I thought I was seeing a lake with an island… but it turned out to be a beautiful bay of Lake Superior. Likely a rental, and what a view.

A better look at the “island” in the bay. After reaching this ridge, my phone finally died. I followed a path southwest that wasn’t even recorded on Strava. After exploring a while, I made my way back, took a quick swim in Lake Superior, and caught the boat just in time for the 3 hour and 45 minute ride back to Copper Harbor. My final Michigan 5K? Officially complete.

Spotted this sign in Copper Harbor and couldn’t help but laugh—from MI to FL? Quite the detour!

Leaving Copper Harbor behind—but still deep in the Keweenaw Peninsula, surrounded by brilliant fall colors. A scenic end to a beautiful trip.

With 6 hours off the clock, I finally saw the bridge again. Only two more hours and I’d be home.

If you ever make it out to Isle Royale, please say hello to this otter for me. Tell him McCatty says hi, and he hopes to return someday. If you’re looking for an unforgettable place for a visit, this is it. I’m so glad I chose Isle Royale to close out this chapter.

I’m planning my final county run for the summer of 2025, with hopes of completing it on Isle Royale National Park. I haven’t finalized details about the boat ride yet, but I’ve heard from many that the journey is well worth it.

If you’re a business located in Keweenaw County, I’d love to connect—please reach out!

Update: I’ve already worked with two people from the area—one on websites, and another on posters, maps, and videos. I’ll be sharing more about those projects soon. My ongoing goal is to collaborate with people from every county across Michigan.

Keweenaw County

Ahmeek Allouez Copper Harbor Eagle Harbor Gay Grant Houghton Isle Royale Sherman

Any place in Bold and Red are townships / towns / cities I’ve run a 5k for the county run (or the closest city to my county run)

Any place in Bold and Blue are townships / towns / cities I’ve run anytime in the past.

Author: Michael

Clare

Clare County

Grand Traverse

Grand Traverse County

Wexford

Wexford County

Muskegon

Muskegon County

Keweenaw

Keweenaw County

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