Thirty Years of Crim Highlights
- By Doug Kurtis
Free Press Columnist

1977 - Race begins at noon with 750 runners. Steve Kenyon of England outduels Bill Rogers in 50:08. Only time the race was won in more than 50 minutes. Kim Merritt was just eight minutes back to top the female division. Ed Wiberg, considered to be Crim's first legend, ran in white dress shoes with platform heels. He was nearly 70 at the time.

1978 - Field doubles and local favorite Greg Meyer defeats Kenyon in 48 flat. 16 year old Celia Peterson sets a national age record and wins the women's race in 59:30.

1979 - Field now tripled in size. MSU's Herb Lindsay wins the first of three consecutive titles. Boston Marathon champ Joan Benoit claims victory. $100,000 raised for Special Olympics, the largest single day fundraiser in the country.

1980 - U of M Public Television provides same day coverage which has continued ever since. Audience sees front runners as well as many back in the pack. Inspiring coverage included Gerry "Sticks" Traylor who suffered from muscular dystrophy and ran the entire race on crutches. Lindsay and Patty Catalano are victors.

1981 - Focused on TAC sanctions for international runners whose Olympic eligibility was in jeopardy because of inclusion of professional runners. Many international runners sat on the sidelines while Lindsay and Catalano capture the gold again.

1982 - Joan Benoit set a national record in 53:17. Steve Kenyon returned to the victory stand with a course record 46:43. 19 year old U of M athlete Lisa Larson finishes third against a stellar field. Entries topped 4,000 despite Flint's designation for the nation's highest unemployment.

1983 - Nick Rose led a British invasion in 46:58, while Lisa Martin (55:07) took one for the Aussies .

1984 - Rose ran the exact same time as the year before and joined Minnesota's Janice Ettle on the top of the podium. Bobby Crim led blind Vietnam veteran Howard Meyer through the course.

1985 - Rain soaked the runners but didn't dampen their spirits, especially the Marine recruits who traditionally run the ten mile race in formation at the back of the pack. Husband and wife, Ken and Lisa Martin claimed the championships.

1986 - Over an inch of rain fell on Flint during the race. Future Olympian Ed Eyestone and Lisa Larson Weidenbach were the monsoon winners. Bobby Crim ran blindfolded while tethered to another runner.

1987 - Brain Sheriff of Zimbabwe outdueled Mark Curp to the brick yards. Weidenbach won again but not without a strong challenge from one of the world's best masters runners, Priscilla Welch of Great Britain. Half a Crim was added to the events.

1988 - Weidenbach claimed her own threepeat with a new American record of 53:10. Eyestone just missed the course record by two seconds.

1989 - Course changes were made to accommodate the growing number of entrants and events. The Crim now had an 8 km and 5km. Cathy O'Brien followed several others off and back on course but still ran the correct distance. Her time of 51:47 was later certified as a World Record.   Sheriff returned to the victory stand with a course record of 46:23.

1990 - Only eleven seconds separated the top five male finishers, led by past champ Ken Martin. Fifth overall was John Campbell who set a masters world record in 47:55. Uta Pippig, who went on to win three straight Boston Marathons, took the female crown.

1991 - Steve Kogo was the first Kenyon to win the Crim by outkicking Sheriff to the tape by one second. Lesley Lehane was the women's victor but master's winner Laurie Binder was the star setting a national record in 56:05.

1992 - More people participated than in the first five Crims combined. Wheeler Scott Hollebeck set a world best in 37:10. Simon Karori surged past Sheriff with a powerful finish and a new course record of 46:21. Olga Markova became the first Russian champ.

1993 - Olympian Lynn Jennings was too much for Ann Marie Letko in the final miles. Mexico's Alejandro Cruz surprised everyone beating Karori by two seconds. After 18 years at the helm race director Lois Craig passed the reigns on to Laurie McCann.

1994 - Over 13,000 showed up on a hot and humid day. Hollenbeck broke his own world best for the third time in 36:07. Jean Driscoll also set a world best for wheeler women in 43:20. Letko didn't let up this time. Kenyon, Benson Masya also came home a winner.

1995 - Festival participation didn't slow down, 14,565 hit the streets along with Kenyons Delillah Asiago (53:08) and Thomas Osano in a course record 46:06.

1996 - Two new Kenyon's continued the country's dominance. Joseph Kamau's blistering 45:43 still stands as the course record. Catherine Ndereba started her victory reign with a 53:08, good for 37th place overall. Anne Gault, Riverbend Strider and event timing expert assumes the race director's badge.

1997 - The Kenyon string was broken on the men's side. Morocco's Brahim Lahlafi was just two seconds off the course record under perfect conditions. Hellen Kimaiyo kept the Kenyon women's streak going.

1998 - Kenyon, John Korir made it look easy as did Ndereba's in her return to the victory stand.

1999 - Just press the repeat button and you have this year's winners.

2000 - Catherine the Great was back for number four and she got it. Mark Yatich led the unstoppable Kenyon men. Sherlynn Everly brings her event management skills and infectious enthusiasm to the race director's roll.

2001 - It was same old, same old for Nederba fifth victory while another Kenyan newcomer, Laban Kipkemboi blistered a 46:41.

2002 - Nederba last victory would also be her best. Her 52:09 left her less than a mile away from Simon Rono's tape breaker.

2003 - Four year's later Korir put himself back on top again in 46:22. Russian Lyudmila Biktasheva cruised to victory with a 51:52.

2004 - It was another double dose of Kenyan's. This time Linus Maiyo and Leah Malot wore the laurel wreaths.

2005 - The Russian women were back on top. This time it was Alevtina Ivanova.   Tanzanian Fabiano Joseph made it the first time in over a dozen years that a Kenyan wasn't on the victory stand.   Deb Kiertzener became just the fifth Crim race director along with CEO Gerry Meyers.

2006 - Twenty-five runners will be honored for competing in all 30 Crim 10 mile road races.

The 30th Crim will be run on August 26th, 2006 in downtown Flint, Michigan. For more information about the Crim Festival of Races visit http://www.crim.org

Contact Doug Kurtis at Detroit Free Press, 600 W. Fort St. Detroit, 48226