In 2012 the Corktown Race celebrated its 30th anniversary with the

+ The race offered commemorative medals to all finisher for the first time in its history. Runners also were part of the first new wave system.

In 2005, the Motor City Striders decided to pass along organization of the race to the Downtown Runners and Walkers. It was also the first year that all the runners were chipped timed.

After years of starting at Tiger Stadium and finishing at the Gaelic League the course was moved to the Michigan Central Train Depot for a common start/finish in 2009.

In 2010 the run and walk was combined to a 5km which enabled the race to stay almost completely on the Parade route. It also marked the first year that the race offered technical shirts

Course records in the four miler were set by Sue French, 23, of Toronto in 1984. She surprised the split timers with her fast early pace and finished in 21:53. French went on to run for Canada in the 1984 and ‘88 Olympics. Until 2004, she held the Canadian 10K record with a time of 31:50.51.

Paul Aufdemberge holds the four miler course records with times of 19:01 in 1990. Aufdemberge, one of Michigan’s celebrated runners, has won Corktown on four separate occasions.

Corktown Race made it debut in 1983. It was a rare day for area runners. For the first time in the 25-year history of the Motor City Striders, runners could choose between two different Strider races, in separate events, on the same day.

The first was the Ernest Smith Memorial 5-Mile Run at 10 a.m. on Belle Isle. The second event, the inaugural St. Patrick’s 4-Mile Run, started at 12:30 p.m. three miles away in front of Cobo Hall and finished on Woodward Avenue.