Cars, Coneys and Crims: Tracing the History of the Running Culture in Flint, Michigan

Abstract

The greater Flint area has seldom been noted for its trend- setting ability. This medium-sized, Midwestern industrial city of 120,000 is virtually unknown as the birthplace of General Motors, the world's largest industrial corporation, let alone that of less famous people and institutions that call it home. On the contrary, the city seems to find negative publicity much easier to achieve than positive, be it through film (the movie "Roger and Me") or print (Forbes Magazine's annual ratings of cities nationwide, which perennially rates Flint at or near the bottom). However, the Flint area was not so far removed from nationwide trends as to be passed over by the running boom. On the contrary, the movement found fertile ground and thrived in the area well beyond expectations, primarily because of the fact that runners and running events were not completely new. In terms of running, the Flint area was possessed of a singular, though relatively unknown, history with regard to the sport, remarkable both in its length (significantly pre-dating the running boom) and the stature of the resultant events. Developing alongside this history, sometimes as a result of it, other times as a shaper of it, was a running culture unique to the area. The existence today of this community of runners in many ways defies what most might expect from a city of Flint's size, demographic makeup, and physical environs. In spite of expectations, and because of the actions of a relatively small number of individuals and favorable circumstances, the Flint area is currently home to a number of the state's oldest and largest races, as well as an active, established running club, numerous year-round events and significant numbers of runners. As a result of this culture and associated events, the greater Flint area today is looked upon, both within the state and across the nation, as a leader in the organization of running events. The development of such a culture in this somewhat unlikely location is the subject of the following discussion. In order to lend some perspective, the history of running across the nation and in the state of Michigan will be discussed first.