A proposed new run on Old Mission Peninsula – backed by the Traverse City Elks Lodge and featuring world record holder and renowned ultra-long-distance runner Stan Cottrell – could prompt Peninsula Township to review its policy limiting large events to three per year.

Mary Panek, an Elks Lodge officer and chairperson of the proposed new Traverse City Freedom Run, appeared before Peninsula Township trustees Tuesday. Panek said the event – which she emphasized was not a race but rather a progressive run, similar to that depicted in the film Forrest Gump – would take place the morning of Saturday, September 30 on a course offering 20-mile, 12-mile, and 3.8-mile routes. The longest runners would start at Mission Point Lighthouse and finish at Northwestern Michigan College, taking a route that includes sections of Center Road, Bowers Harbor Road, Seven Hills Road, Blue Water Road, Bluff Road, and East Shore Road. Shorter distance runners would join in at both Bowers Harbor and the DNR boat launch, also finishing at the college.

The Freedom Run would be held in partnership with Stan Cottrell, who in 2021 ran 3,000 miles across the United States from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. at the age of 78. While Cottrell ran competitively for decades – in 1980, he set a Guinness World Record running across the country in just 48 days, averaging 66 miles a day – he told trustees he now focuses on “friendship runs” aimed at being an ambassador for health, fitness, and positivity. “A selfish dream will not sustain itself,” he said of transitioning from a competitive to a community focus.

Cottrell has engaged sponsors to donate to charities that support veterans and children as part of his events. The Elks Lodge said the Freedom Run will also support those causes, including honoring “our area veterans and active-duty personnel from all branches of the military, including the U.S. Coast Guard,” according to the project proposal. The Elks Lodge added that it hopes to “engage Peninsula Township in a meaningful, memorable, and service-oriented way, one that highlights its beauty and wonder while promoting health, safety, and wellbeing through a positive lifestyle.”

Proposed entry for the run is $25 and includes an autographed Freedom Run t-shirt, as well as a photo opportunity with Cottrell at the finish line as an event fundraiser. The Elks Lodge anticipates approximately 250 runners to participate as a first-year event. Panek said her group would work with all required fire, medical, and safety agencies, noting she’s already had conversations with NMC and the City of Traverse City about event logistics. The Elks Lodge still needs to talk to other agencies, like the Peninsula Township Fire Department and DNR, but Panek said she first wanted to come to trustees for input so there could be “collaborative decision-making” between event organizers and Peninsula Township. “This is really something we only wanted to do with you,” she said.

The Freedom Run’s size and scope qualifies it as a “large event” under Peninsula Township’s ordinance. The township currently limits large events to three annually. Two of those three events are definitively spoken for in 2023, including the Bayshore Marathon and the Meijer Festival of Races during the National Cherry Festival. A third event, the Traverse City Triathlon, was planned for August 20 but is potentially now in flux, according to township staff.

Trustees said they were willing to consider the Freedom Run as a backup third event to the triathlon, allowing the Elks Lodge to move forward if the triathlon falls through. If the Freedom Run gets the green light to proceed, it will need to go through a large event approval process this summer that will include a public hearing. Trustees said they also wanted to see the course redesigned if the Freedom Run moves ahead, keeping it on the northern end of Old Mission instead of running the entire length of the peninsula. Such a scenario, which could include a loop between the lighthouse and Bowers Harbor for the longest distance runners, would help minimize traffic and safety concerns on Center Road, trustees said.

If the Traverse City Triathlon does move ahead this year, the Freedom Run may need to be delayed a year to allow time for trustees to reconsider the township’s large event policy. Township Clerk Becky Chown said the three-event cap was introduced a few years ago after residents complained about event fatigue. “The very clear message that I received...was that there was some exhaustion with having all these events out on the peninsula,” she said. While trustees said they understood why event organizers wanted to showcase the beauty of Old Mission, deciding whether to change the event cap or other criteria in the ordinance needs a methodical and “coherent” approach, said Township Supervisor Isaiah Wunsch.

Staff said they could know as soon as this week whether the triathlon is moving ahead. Trustees agreed to discuss the Freedom Run again at their July 11 meeting.