Young competitors prepare for the start of the Museum Mile on Sunday outside the MSU Museum as part of the Dinosaur Dash. The event, which features a traditional 5K as well as two races for younger participants, raises money for the MSU Museum.
There was a chilly autumn wind whispering across the grounds of the MSU campus on Sunday morning. But for East Lansing resident Dan Leyman, the weather was pristine for competing in the MSU Federal Credit Union, or MSUFCU, Dinosaur Dash.
“It’s actually great training weather,” Leyman said. “When you get the rain mixed in, it’s pretty crappy, but other than that, you can’t beat today.”
Although the temperature at the starting line at 10 a.m. was about 45 degrees, it couldn’t keep more than 1,500 people from lacing up their running shoes for the 25th annual 5K run to benefit the MSU Museum, event coordinator Mike Secord said.
Secord said the Dinosaur Dash is a major fundraiser and a fall tradition for the Museum and also allows the community to see what the Museum has to offer.
“If you look around, we have over 1,500 participants with adults and kids,” Secord said. “There might be another 1,000 people here to support them. Bringing 2,500 people to campus on a Sunday morning and getting around the Museum exposes them to things they may have experienced before, but maybe it’s new to them.”
In addition to the race, the Museum also opened a new exhibit featuring a replica of a 375 million-year-old fossil called Tiktaalik. It’s a reproduction of a fossil found in Canada and shows the transition between water dwelling animals to land animals, said Lora Helou, communications manager for the MSU Museum.
The race was the last of the Playmakers Greater Lansing Race Series’ events for the season and was popular for both serious runners and walkers in the area, Helou said. Although the race has a hardcore runner following, it’s also family-oriented, she said.
“It’s really an important way to not only raise funds, but attract new visitors to the Museum,” Helou said.
“It’s definitely more than a one shot deal for the day.”
Brendan Martin, a Jackson, Mich., resident, crossed the finish line first with a time of 15:33. Kinesiology masters student Alicja Stannard won the female overall race with a time of 19:11.
Stannard said she was happy with her performance and the weather was great for a race.
“You definitely can tell it’s fall because it’s getting cooler,” Stannard said.
“I guess the weather affected me as much as any other race. It was a good fall race.”
In the masters’ division, Jackson, Mich., resident Daniel Dixon won the men’s race with a time of 16:16. Jill Evers-Bowers, of Kent City, Mich., won the female race in the masters’ division with a time of 19:57.
Helou said the Dinosaur Dash is expected to generate at least $20,000 for the Museum. Racers had to pay an entrance fee to participate in the Dash.
Although the event isn’t the largest one the Museum hosts, it generates the most interest in the area, Secord said.
“This one is the one that brings the most people to our front door on campus,” Secord said.
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