Ann Arbor, MI — September 14, 2011 — Running across the Mackinac Bridge earlier this month was quite an experience for Manette London, administrative coordinator with School of Dentistry’s Office of Research.  But it wasn’t her first time running the five-mile span.

London completed her first bridge run in 2009.  This time she was joined by more than 300 runners followed by 36,000 others who walked across the five-mile structure on Labor Day, Monday, September 5.  Other participants included Governor Rick Snyder and Lt. Governor Brian Calley who walked.

Arriving at the bridge about six o’clock that morning, London said she and other runners began the run across the bridge about 6:30.  Walkers started about 30 minutes later.  London said it took her about 36 minutes to complete the run.  “I didn’t meet anyone from U-M, but I did meet some very nice people who do a lot to promote fitness and well being,” she said.  “They were very inspiring.”

London’s dedication to health and physical fitness placed her in a special group of 11 runners selected as Fitness Ambassadors by the Michigan Fitness Foundation.  Fitness Ambassadors are chosen for their commitment to healthy living and serve as a role model for health, fitness, and physical activity for all Michigan residents. 

She is also a participant in the U-M MHealthy program and has enthusiastically embraced the program’s goals of promoting the health and well-being of those in the U-M community.  “It’s never too late to begin exercising,” London said.  “The one thing I have learned is that if you don’t exercise, everything is harder.  Exercise gives you the energy and strength you need to fully participate in your life.”

Asked if she’ll participate again next year, London said she would try.  “It’s a lottery, so you never know if you will ever be picked.”  The Annual Mackinac Bridge Walk, as it is officially known, marked its 54^th anniversary this month.  The run across the Bridge, a noncompetitive event first established in 2003, was organized by the Michigan Fitness Foundation, the Mackinac Bridge Authority, the Michigan Department of Transportation, and the Governor’s Office.