Keen Racing Does Fun: Farmland 5km 2019

This is what community is all about. This past Saturday, we enjoyed sun, fun, and even a run at the Farmland 5k and Free-For-All Bike Race! We’ve been the title sponsor of this event since its first edition for a lot of reasons, but perhaps the most important is simply because we love it! It’s unique, unpredictable, and brings together a lot of special people at a time of year that would otherwise be a bit of a whole in the calendar. Having any event in early December in northern Michigan is a gamble, but for runners and bikers from Traverse City, we’re never scared of a weather forecast! This year was the snowiest edition of Farmland in years, but not the coldest. Temperatures were at or above freezing for both the noon run and 1pm bike races, and the sun stayed out for almost all of it! Keen had plenty of athletes in action in the run and bike, including a smiling Mike Powers. The two to three inches of soft snow made traction tough for the runners, but they still put up some interesting times over the 3.2 mile course that included some rolling hills and a surprising amount of wind. With over 100 runners, the snow was mashed and softened up by the time the bikes lined up. Fat bikes, with tires over four inches wide, were the popular choice, but as always, we saw a bit of everything for the “free-for-all”, including plenty of 29ers and even two cyclocross bikes! First place or last, we’re all about having fun. TJ Brown got the kids to the line, the youngest participants of the whole day! Just staying upright in the soft snow was challenge enough, but the whole family had a blast. Mike, Shawn Luca, TJ, and all the Keen crew were smiling lap after lap, totally 12 miles!A big thanks to the Traverse City Track Club and everyone who makes the Farmland happen, and we’ll see you again in 2020!Check out the full results from race day here.