ROSEVILLE (11/14/04) - Darrell McKee sat patiently in the gym, waiting for the start of the Big Bird runs. Pinned to his shirt was No. 26, which is how many Big Birds he's been in - every one! McKee ran parts of this course more than 50 years ago, when he was on the Roseville High School cross country team. He ran this year's Big Bird mile with his grandson, 6, then the 10K too.

"I couldn't miss the Big Bird," said McKee, who has outlasted four race directors. He retired to Florida one year, only to "have to" fly up for the race. Now he's back in Michigan - to be closer to the Big Bird? McKee won't say.

He underwent surgery this September, assured by his doctor he would be ready for Big Bird. "I'll have it so you're running 10-minute miles," McKee remembers the doctor saying. "If I'd known he could make me faster, I'd have had surgery a long time ago," he laughed.

McKee, 70, finished the 10K this year in 57:49, a 9:19 pace.

What would the Big Bird be without high schoolers? Each year, the Roseville High marching band serenades runners, pumping them up before races. Many teens, still fit from their cross country seasons, enjoy running the races too. This year, 58 of them ran the 10K, and 27 the 4K.

The 2004 Big Bird reflected its storied past. The band played the Star-Spangled Banner, then muzzleloaders fired guns (startling some newcomers) for the start. The flat, fast course was well-marked and -marshaled. The 10K included back-and-forth trips across the I-696 pedestrian overpass. And several dozen turkeys ("Big Birds") were raffled to kick off the holidays. Age-group awards went as many as five deep.

Almost 800 runners and walkers took part: 488 in the 10K, 173 in the 4K, and 120 in the mile. "The numbers are picking up," race director Tony Lipinski said. Many came to race fast, another Big Bird staple. Clint Verran, a member of Team Hansons and Team USA in world competitions, won the 10K in 30:19. He was followed by Jacob Frey and Martin Rosendahl, both of whom also averaged sub-5:00 miles. Women's champ Carly Graytock, also from Team Hansons, finished in 35:52, 17 seconds faster than her winning time last year. Laura Murphy, a former Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier, was second overall and repeated as masters queen. Mark Neal, 42, was the first men's master, and 11th overall, in 35:43. Senior leaders John Tarkowksi (37:27) and Donna Olson (45:00) bettered their winning 2003 times, Olson by nearly a minute and a half. Teammates Doug Goodhue, James Carlton and Gerard Malaczynski, all in the 60-64 age group, each broke 39 minutes with per-mile paces between 6:10 and 6:14. Bill Monnett (12:19) and Rosie Marano (16:33) paced the 4K field. Lipinski would like to order similar weather - temperatures in the 40s and rising, plenty of sunshine and just a slight breeze - for next year's Big Bird. This year's runners received the traditional pair of gloves from Hansons Running Shop, plus head-warmers furnished by Longhorn Steakhouse. "Even though the weather was nice, we ran out of them," said Lipinski. That meant more runners than expected, a "problem" he loves to have.

For complete race results, visit michiganrunner.net/results/ searchable.html.

Want to see the Big Bird on your computer? Check out michiganrunner.tv.

Ron Marinucci can be reached by e-mail at RMarin6424.com. MR