Running News Daily

The Amway River Bank Run, is set to return this weekend

After a nearly 900-day hiatus of the largest 25K running race in the U.S., the Amway River Bank Run is returning Saturday to Grand Rapids.

The 44th Amway River Bank Run will take place Saturday morning, Oct. 23, with 5K, 10K and 25K races all starting and ending in downtown Grand Rapids. There will also be a 5K community walk.

The in-person event was cancelled in 2020 and postponed in 2021.

“I can’t tell you how many people have commented on how excited they are to be back in a real race again,” said Russ Hines, CEO of River Bank Events and Media, referring to the virtual version of the races held in 2020. “The energy level around that has been really, really exciting.”

The 25K run begins at 9:30 a.m. on Monroe Avenue at Lyon Street. The event this year is presented by Fifth Third Bank with Spectrum Health.

People can still register for any of the races until 5 p.m. Oct. 22. Further details can be found at runsignup.com/Race/MI/GrandRapids/AmwayRiverBankRun.

The event was postponed and then turned into a virtual race in 2020 amid the pandemic.

Normally taking place in May, the race was postponed as well this year until October due to pandemic concerns and a hope that the fall would have a “closer to normal” atmosphere.

Organizers say the race this year will look like those of years past but with some COVID-19 safety protocols. Finish Fest is also returning this year and will take place at Calder Plaza.

While the Amway River Bank Run normally draws more than 15,000 participants, Hines said organizers are expecting about 6,000 people to compete this year. Those turnout figures, he said, align with what many other races around the country are seeing.

Race Director David Madiol said there are a variety of factors at play behind the lower turnout.

By moving the race from the spring to the fall, it now has to compete with a number of other local and national races normally scheduled during the fall, as well as those that were also postponed from the spring, Madiol said.

Another thing is the timing of the training, he said. During a normal May race year runners train during the colder months leading up to it. Now, he said, they may choose to skip the race instead of training in the hot summer.

Lastly, a lot of people still remain tentative about being among large crowds of people due to the pandemic, Madiol said. Organizers are confident about the safety of the race and those spectating, he said.

“We’re so excited. We’re really geeked,” Madiol said. “We’ve done everything we can to make sure we have a safe event this coming weekend and we really want to get this one up and running. We want to be back. We want to be back and show that we can have these great large scale events in downtown Grand Rapids again.”