About 100 runners and riders participated in the first ever Polly Ann Trail Duathlon on Oct. 19.
The event featured two options for participants: a 28-mile Mountain Bike Adventure or a Duathlon that included a 3.1-mile run and a 12-mile Mountain Bike Course. The event began and ended in Orion Township’s Civic Center Park.
“The day went better than I ever hoped thanks not only to the weather, but also to the volunteers who made it happen,” said Amy Murray, manager for the Polly Ann Trail. “It went, for a first year, as well as anyone could have ever hoped.”
About two-thirds of the participants raced in the duathlon, while the remaining one-third biked. Pictured are the mountain bikers taking off for their 28-mile ride.

Since settling in Michigan in 1997 – after five other states and several foreign countries – I have been telling anyone who asked that this is my favorite place. Whether our tastes run to urban theaters, sporting events and festivals, or to equally numerous and spectacularly beautiful natural areas, Michigan satisfies.
Since becoming Polly Ann Trail Manager about two years ago, I have also begun telling everyone that our area is full of generous people creating a wonderful “sense of place” for us all. Although it is somewhat hard to define and may even seem a little corny, I say this “sense of place” is at least as important as the place itself.
I sat down to write a thank you for the 19 volunteers who helped to make the October 19 Polly Ann Trail Mountain Bike Adventure a great success, but found it hard to ignore so many other times and places I have observed the positive impact of volunteers. By lending a hand or taking a leadership role in activities that appeal to their own priorities and preferences, volunteers are often both the heart and the muscle behind things like Scouts and 4-H, Youth Athletics, food drives, downtown festivals, school improvements, memorials, gardens, fund-raisers for our friends in trouble… the parts of living that transform a place into our place.
To all my volunteers: Frank Cobb, Jim Ralston, Marge Gatliff, Jeff Weaver, Deb Twork, Julie and Anthony Esparsa, Karen Charles, Kathy and Leah McLosky, Major Murray, Lori and Andy Versteeg, John Fons, Larry Rumley, Jason and Rick Wojciechowski, Pauline Blanka, Cathy Richter and Oxford and Orion Police – you were the heart and muscle making our Polly Ann Trail bike adventure not only a safe day, but also a FUN day.
To everyone who pays attention to and acts on an impulse to give some time and talent, thank you for making this place our place.
Amy Murray
Polly Ann Trail Manager