WMU plans extra special cheering sections for marathoners

When the runners in Kalamazoo’s first marathon race through WMU’s campus May 8 they’ll be greeted by cheerleaders, the school mascot Buster Bronco and a host of well wishers.

The runners will be just about five miles into the 26.2 mile course when they reach campus.

Members of the community will be offering moral support all along the course there, but there are six spots on campus and two in the Business, Technology and Research Park, about 10.2 miles into the route, where people will be gathered to cheer on the runners.

The university calls them “excitement zones.”

Donna Marks, of WMU’s Office of Community Outreach, says those who gather at the “excitement zones” will have picked a theme and be prepared in advance to do more than cheer on the runners.

Like what? “It’s a surprise,” Marks says.

Considering the size of Kalamazoo, and with nearly 1,300 runners already registered to participate in the marathon, it’s likely that everyone knows someone in the race. And she says those who have watched runners in marathons before know it’s a lot of fun to move along the course anticipating where the person you are cheering on will be next and getting there in time to offer encouragement. “It’s a blast,” Marks says.

To organize an excitement zone, or for more information, contact Donna Marks by e-mail or by calling 269-387-2072.

For a full feature story on Kalamazoo’s first marathon, read the May 5 edition of Southwest Michigan’s Second Wave.

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Donna Marks, Western Michigan University