HANCOCK — Portions of M-203 will be closed from 8-11 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, during the Canal Run, which is celebrating 50 years this year. The closure will be from U.S. 41 to High Point Road. 

“Safety has always been our number one concern,” Canal Run race director Angela Luskin said. “This move will make the likeliness of an accident much smaller and should give our participants much more peace of mind as they move along our picturesque race course.”

The biggest change for racers, in addition to the greater levels of safety, will be slight changes to the shuttles. All participants in the two-mile fun run/walk and five-mile events must take the shuttle to the race starts. The final shuttle for the five-mile race has been moved to 7:45 a.m. The final shuttle for the two-mile fun fun/walk remains at 8:45 a.m. 

On race morning, a detour will in place that directs traffic down Lake Annie Road to get back to M-203. This change is in place to try and make the race as safe as possible for racers and volunteers. The Canal Run’s organizing committee will reevaluate next year. 

This change comes after many years of discussions and planning with local and statewide officials. 

“We want to thank Michigan Department of Transportation, the City of Hancock, Hancock Township, Houghton County Road Commission, Michigan State Police and many others who provided guidance through this process,” Luskin said. “The timing is great as it looks like we might have the biggest event in our 50-year history.”

This year’s Canal Run includes a half marathon, 10-mile walk, Bob Olson 10-mile run, five-mile walk, five-mile run, two-mile fun run/walk and Keweenaw Coop Kid’s Dash. 

Registration is open now at www.canal.run. Volunteers are also still needed, with a full list of volunteer opportunities listed on the website.