Hello to Run Tucson folks. We're writing this exactly three weeks from the June 1st TMC Meet Me Downtown 5k. Three weeks from today we'll be at the Children's Museum in Downtown Tucson, setting up the barricades, hanging banners, and getting ready to host 2000 runners and walkers at the 18th Annual TMC Meet Me Downtown 5k.

18 years. Jeeze Louise, but that's a long time and we're grateful to the Southern Arizona Roadrunners running club for all the hard work on this event over the years -- and we're grateful to the thousands and thousands of runners and walkers who have joined us on hot Saturday nights.

Our primary goal with this event is to bring people together to celebrate physical health, mental wellness, and the wonderful community that makes up Tucson and Southern Arizona.

None of that was the original goal 18 years ago . . . back then we just wanted to throw a party.

Let me explain.

Way back when, Tia and I went to see the Lion King at the Convention Center and thought we could get dinners and drinks afterwards -- unfortunately, it seemed like everything was closed Downtown and there was really nothing to do.

This mediocre date night led us to think about throwing a party for runners and walkers.

We chose early June with the idea that Tucson is kind of boring at that time of year -- no UofA, no local sports, no monsoons -- just the beginnings of relentless summer heat.

We got the tagline "Meet Me Downtown" from the late Donavan Durband, who at the time was heading up the Downtown Tucson Partnership from offices in La Placita Village. The idea of a nighttime run came from the old "Scottsdale Run for the Arts 8k."

Thus, we came up with the name for the inaugural event, "Meet Me Downtown 5k Night Run for the Fox," raising funds for the Fox Theater and Cinema La Placita.

Anthony Wiggins, at the time the Board President for Greater Tucson Leadership, got us title sponsorship from the Tucson Association of Realtors, and we were off and running!

The first-ever live music was the band "Michael P. Nordberg and the Gullywashers," with runners also enjoying Cirque Roots fire dancers, awards from the Running Shop, and a free showing of Chariots of Fire at the Fox.

In addition to the Downtown Tucson Partnership, a main Downtown partner was Hotel Congress. That first year, they provided free shrimp ceviche to all finishers, then hosted an after-party with a band called The Lemon Drops.

Our first t-shirt designs were put together by UA graduate student Stephanie Degner, while local artist Pete Marenfeld came up with the art-deco design that we've used off and on for the past 15 years. The race timer for all 18 years has been Greg Wenneborg, at www.roadrunnerracetiming.com.

Even though that first date night didn't go so well, things turned out OK after all. Here's a 2010 photo of our young family hanging the race banner on the walkway over Congress:

Tucson Medical Center has been our title sponsor since 2008, and as more participants joined the fun, we moved to our current location in front of the Children's Museum, using the large park space of Armory Park and the Downtown streets.

Over the years, the event has raised funds for a variety of local arts and educational entities, including the the Tucson Museum of Art, the Tucson Museum of Contemporary Art, the Tucson Symphony, the Educational Enrichment Foundation, Greater Tucson Leadership, the Children's Museum, and other local organizations.

Before the COVID years, almost 3000 people would come out. In 2020, during COVID we held a virtual event, then we moved an August morning in 2021, and now we're back to the TMC Night Run.

Our hope is that this event continues to bring people together to make our community an even better place to live and to visit.

Happy running and walking, all!

Randy and Tia Accetta

randy@runtucson.net

tia@runtucson.net

For a few years, we hosted the "Battle of the Badges," designed to commemorate our community's first-responders and other civil servants

Mark Cromrie (top) ran the mile in full firefighter gear multiple times -- often in temperatures exceeding 100-degrees.

One of the first Festival of Miles events included a "Tutu Division."

For many, the play of wearing a tutu creates a welcome respite from the stress of competition and performance.

We're delighted to host all athletes, whether speed demons or regular heroes, helping one another get outside and be involved. Thanks to all the volunteers, whether guiding athletes, pushing chairs, or helping hand out t-shirts!

Thanks to Tucson Medical Center for their ongoing support!

Who Sends These? Run Tucson (www.RunTucson.net) is the event production company for the largest run/walk events in Southern Arizona. 

To promote our mission of making Tucson better through running, Run Tucson advocates for health & fitness, enhancing community engagement, and promoting the local economy. 

In addition, we support worthy charities, raising over $350,000 for local non-profit organizations over the years.

Why Am I on This List? You've participated in one of the events we've produced, either one of our charity running events in Tucson, or as part of Meet Me at Maynard's, Meet Me Wednesday's, Meet Me Downtown PHX.

How Do I Get Off This List? You can hit the "unsubscribe" button below or you can email us at randy@runtucson.net.