Registration for 2014 HealthPlus Brooksie Way races now open

 Runners and walkers can save themselves up to $30 on entry fees by registering now online for the seventh annual HealthPlus Brooksie Way.

 
Online registration at www.TheBrooksieWay.com saves half marathon runners and walkers off the $75 entry fee charged to those who register on the eve of the Sept. 28 race. Entrants for the 10K and 5K will also realize significant savings by registering early. Participants can also register online for the popular Team Challenge—which sold out last year—and celebrate after the race in the exclusive Team Challenge tent.
 
“The race is getting bigger each year,” Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said. “The community has embraced the race and the proceeds are given back to the community through programming that supports and promotes healthy and active lifestyles through Brooksie Way Minigrants.”
 
The Brooksie Way Minigrant program has returned more than $100,000 to support local health and fitness activities. The grants are awarded three times a year.
 
The HealthPlus Brooksie Way, now in its seventh year, is named in memory of Brooks Stuart Patterson, a young father and the son of the county executive, who died in 2007. It has become one of the most popular regional fall half marathons. The 2013 race attracted 6,200 runners and walkers, including participants from 17 states and five countries. The course begins and ends at the Meadow Brook Music Festival on the campus of Oakland University and includes parts of the Clinton River and Paint Creek trails, Rochester Hills, and downtown Rochester.
 
New this year, the HealthPlus Brooksie Way is partnering with the Great Lakes Bay Regional Marathon in Midland. Entrants can save $10 off the current race registration for both races using a coupon code that will be announced next week.
 
The popular Kid’s Race—sponsored by Fifth Third bank—is set for Sept. 27, the day before the bigger races. Kroger, the official half marathon sponsor, will soon offer race applications in all Michigan stores.