Event Description

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.

The Burns Park Run is a long-standing and successful fundraiser, organized and run by volunteers, that supports the Burns Park Elementary PTO and other local school PTOs through our "Run for Schools" program.

Known for its family-friendly atmosphere, the Burns Park Run 5K and 10K races annually draw between 1,000 to 1,500 runners ages 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 Frank Shorter, Jeff Porter, Emily Samuelson, Sada Jacobson, Cheryl Haworth, Cara Heads, Sheila Taormina, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Francie Goodridge, Gary Morgan, and Jackie Hansen, 2016 Olympic Trials Qualifier and UM athlete Erin Finn – as well as Runner’s World writer John Bingham (“The Penguin”), elite Kenyan-American runner Boaz Cheboiywe, and marathon legend Doug Kurtis.
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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 supported the activities offered by our PTO to its students and their families. Today’s race is headed by 3 race co-directors who, in collaboration with the Ann Arbor Track Club and over 130 volunteers, work throughout the year on planning, funding, marketing and staffing the Burns Park Run.