Rochester Life

The McLaren Brooksie Way has Perfect Day in Successful Return!

Sunny skies and 52-degree temperatures greeted thousands at the 14th annual running of the McLaren Brooksie Way.

Only two-weekends before, the Rochester community hosted one of the nation’s premier art shows in The Art & Apples Festival. Once again, the greater Rochester area would be called on to host Oakland County’s premier yearly running event, the McClaren Brooksie Way.

There off! At the center, eventual winners Rod Corby (bib 690) and Leah Foley (bib 358) start strong!

The Brooksie Way first ran in October of 2008. It was the cornerstone of a larger Oakland County initiative, led by then County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, to promote health and wellness. It takes its name from L. Brooks Patterson’s son, Brooksie, who at 28, died tragically in a snowmobile accident in 2007.

Over the years the Brooksie Way has continued to grow. McClaren has joined as the titled sponsor and thousands of dollars have been distributed in the form of mini-grants. These grants invest in the community through health and fitness related non-profits.

In addition to the half-marathon, 5K and 10K races are offered and all races are open to runners and walkers alike. Beyond the Sunday competition, Saturday offers “Lil Brooksie Kids” races, and the weekend provides a “Fitness Expo” displaying health and fitness products and services from a variety of vendors. Due to weather, the “Lil Brooksie Kids” runs went virtual, though the kids still enjoyed picking up their race packets. Covid guidelines also forced the larger indoor Fitness Expo to a mini-outdoor expo at the race entrance.

The Course:

All races begin and end at the entrance of the Meadow Brook Music Festival on the SW corner of Adams Road and Walton Blvd. The 5K and 10K courses weave entirely on the grounds of Oakland University. The half-marathon course laces it’s way through Rochester Hills and downtown Rochester. The half-marathon is bounded to the south with Avon Road, to the east with the Royal Park Hotel in downtown Rochester, to the north with Dutton Road and to the west with Adams Road. The course utilizes two community jewels with the Clinton River Trail and the Paint Creek Trail.

Course weaves through Rochester Hills and Downtown Rochester

Scattered strategically throughout the course to maximize the participants experience are 13 water stations, 13 entertainment spots, 8 porta-johns, 5 photographers, a first-aid station and hundreds of police, fire and volunteer workers ensuring everything is “running” smoothly!

Runners receive encouraging beat from Stoney Creek High School Drumline

Race Director

So, who is the mastermind behind the successful McClaren Brooksie Way? Meet Deb Flynn.

Deb Flynn has been the only Race Director the Brooksie Way has ever known. She was personally picked in 2007 by Oakland County Executive, L. Brooks Patterson, to lead the charge. Deb came with a wealth of experience, having been the Race Director for the very popular “Crim” race held in Flint. One of her career highlights was managing a record 16,001 runners for a single Crim race. Deb delivers a resume filled with 20 years of successful race starts.

“It was a beautiful Bright Light!”, Deb said regarding this year’s race. “Considering what we’ve gone through over the past year, everyone was happy to finally be out running. The sun came out on Sunday, the start was flawless, it was a great weekend for runners, walkers and families!”

(l) Course Designer Paul Coughlin, (c) Race Director Deb Flynn, (r) Race Announcer Michael Dach

courtesy Deb Flynn

Deb has built quite a team, with 90% of her core team intact for all 14 years! She is joined by 300 volunteers, countless Oakland County first responder personnel and a Board of Directors that shines of runner glory! Among the McClaren Brooksie Way Board Members are Michigan-native Greg Meyer, the last American-born male to win the Boston Marathon and Bill Rodgers, US Olympian and 4-time Boston Marathon winner!

2021 McClaren Brooksie Way Top Finishers

The Top 3 male finishers for the half-marathon...

In first place, Rod Corby (Rochester) with a time of 1:11:58, in second place, Bradley Mallory (Rochester) 1:13:35, third place, Greg Milewicz (Oxford) 1:20:50.

The Top 3 female finishers for the half-marathon...

In first place, Leah Foley (Goodrich) with a time of 1:26:43, in second place, Sara Gerhardt (Auburn Hills) 1:29:13, third place, Maria Brandon (Lake Orion) 1:31:07.

2021 McLaren Brooksie Way Half-Marathon Winners

courtesy McLaren Brooksie Way

Family and Friends

Family and Friends lined the course hoping to boost the spirits of their favorite runners. Brian Venglar’s family came out to cheer their dad on, they lined the street ready to give dad a high-five hoping to provide that extra boost to the finish line. It worked, Brian finished 28th overall with a 1:29:29.

Brian shared, “The Brooksie Way is a great race! It is a lot of fun to run through the community with family and friends along the way. Sharing high-fives with my kids at Mile-12 was an absolute highlight for me.”

Brian's Family Provides High-Fives!

Teams

Along with individual runner’s, club teams also participate. The 130+ member “501 Running Club” based in Novi/Northville was well represented with 25 total runners.

Suzi Stock, President of 501 Running Club, said, “Belonging to a running club retains focus on race goals, keeps each other accountable, improves times, and builds camaraderie. Why would anybody want to run by themselves, when there are so many advantages to running with a club?”

Founded in 2008, the 501 Running Club has participated in the Brooksie Way since it began. Club President Stock, of Commerce Twp, shared, “The Brooksie Way is a staple on our club schedule. It’s a beautiful venue with a challenging course. Many of our runners target half and full marathons for the fall. The Brooksie is a huge benefit for our full marathoners training for Detroit and Chicago. The people who work the race are second to none, and the fact it gives back to community non-profits is a plus.”

The 501 Running Club’s top half-marathon female finisher was Mami Kato (Troy), 6th place overall with a 1:35:40. Their top half-marathon male finisher was Robert Lee (Novi), 10th place overall with a 1:25:06.

The club had four 1st place age-group finishers; Mami Kato - 1st place (Female Masters and 45-49), Patricia Raines - 1st place (Female 50-54), Carol Poenisch - 1st place (Female 65-69), James Dowd - 1st place (Male 70-74).

President Stock said, “One factor in the team’s success at Brooksie was the weather. It was a perfect day. After training all summer in heat and humidity, the crisp cool morning empowers you to fly through the course.”

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