The History of the Crim Festival of Races

Former Speaker of the House, Bobby Crim, created The Crim Road Race in 1977, to contribute something to the athletes of Michigan Special Olympics. Bobby began organizing this small road race in his home community to establish three main goals. First, to run a world-class road race in the city of Flint, Michigan, secondly, to raise charitable dollars for mentally handicapped athletes, and finally, to foster community pride and cooperation among the residents of the greater Flint area.

The Crim has made tremendous progress throughout the years. In 1985, local citizens agreed that the Crim deserved a solid commitment from the community and developed a Board of Directors, in addition to incorporating as a 501 (c) (3). The main goal of helping one charity, Michigan Special Olympics, expanded into assisting five others as well which consist of; Big Brother/Big Sisters of Greater Flint, Fair Winds Girl Scouts, Shelter of Flint, Genesee County Literacy Coalition and the Crim Youth Development Program.

As time ticked on and the race numbers grew, so did the race options. Other distances soon joined the original 10-Mile Race. In 1987, the 8K Race, was added and in 1988, the 5K Family Walk and Teddy Bear Trot became a part of the Crim tradition. With the new decade, the Crim 8K Walk, Friday’s evening concert, carnival rides as well as Saturday entertainment was added to the line up.

Since the Bobby Crim Road Race was progressing and expanding, the name was changed to represent the vast weekend of events that it had become. In 1992, the name Crim Festival of Races was born and the event still continued to grow. Since that time, the Crim added the 1-Mile Run, 8K Racewalk, 5K Run, Competitive Walk, Neighborhood Running Clubs, Crim Kids Classic, the Crim Training Program, Beyond 2000 Program (community fitness program) and The Feelin’ Good Mileage Club (school fitness program).

Throughout its growth, the original visions of the Crim have not been lost or compromised. The Crim Festival of Races is ranked as one of the top world-class races in its league, currently helps to raise money for six local charities and has developed an incredible amount of community support. From volunteers to participants to spectators, Crim pride is visible across thousands of faces during the fourth weekend of August- year after year.