The Great Bearcat Run – A Brief History Lesson
The following was featured in the club's Fall 2008 newsletter.
Warning: The following was put together using past club newsletters, rumors, hearsay, eavesdropping and the internet - all unreliable sources. No actual people living or deceased were interviewed in the writing of this article.

The Great Bearcat Run originally began in the late 1970’s. The Clifton Track Club precursor to the Runners’ Club of Greater Cincinnati had a prominent role in securing volunteers and helping the race in the early years due to its proximity to the University and a number of members working for the University. In return for the club’s help, the club got to use the Indoor Track at the Armory Fieldhouse for free on Tuesday nights from 7:00-9:00PM provided the club verify that each person was a member of the Clifton Track Club. In 1986, controversy arose over the cheapness of the awards given out and club members wondered which bozo picked those awards. The bozo in question was the current club president at the time.

As the 1980’s progressed, the club had less of a role with the race. In 1991 complaints again arose about the race as a 1991 Article in the Clifton Track Club Newsletter called it the Not so Great Bearcat Run due to several issues like the crappy awards, no t-shirt available for purchase, the high price of $9.00, and less amenities than the RCGC Summer Cross Country Series. The club looked at getting involved in the management of the race but what became of it was hard to say.

For the last few years, the UC Track Team managed the race. The race usually happened on UC Homecoming Weekend and started about 15 minutes before the kickoff of the Homecoming Parade. About 100-150 runners would start near the corner of Straight Street and Clifton Avenue, sprint down Clifton Avenue, wind their way through Burnett Woods and make their way to Martin Luther King, and on the streets around the University and eventually finish back on campus.

The Great Bearcat Run last graced the UC campus in 2005 when 10 people showed up to do the race and nobody was there to sign them up or register them. The UC Track team decided to not hold it in 2005 and nobody stepped forward so it just went away. Everybody knew about its disappearance except for the 10 unlucky souls who showed up on race day. In 2006 or 2007, a 5k walk managed by the UC Greek System replaced the race and raised money for Make-A-Wish Foundation on the Friday of Homecoming Weekend.

In April 2008, the Runners’ Club of Greater Cincinnati Board of Trustees and key members of the UC Running Club met and decided to work together. Since we are both running clubs and two things that running clubs do is run and put on races, we decided to put on a race together. After deciding to do it on the UC Campus, neither club knew what to name it nor really thought much about the name. Since it would be on the UC Campus, we initially decided to call it the Bearcat Run. The UC Running Club checked with the University about any issues with the name and they suggested the Great Bearcat Run to revive and revitialize the tradition of this past race.

Be sure to register online or get the flier for the 2009 race at www.cincinnatirunning.com.