Runners finish the last leg of the 2024 Madison Heights “Run for the Health of It” 5K Run/Walk at the Red Oaks Nature Center April 20. This year’s event will be April 26.
By: Andy Kozlowski | Madison-Park News | Published April 10, 2025
MADISON HEIGHTS — When it comes to 5Ks in the area, the one in Madison Heights is among the earliest each spring. It’s a chance to get outside with people of all fitness levels, jogging or walking at your own pace along a route that starts and ends in Suarez Friendship Woods, the scenic home of the Red Oaks Nature Center.
The 2025 Healthy Heights “Run for the Health of It” 5K run/walk will take place at the park, 30300 Hales St., on Saturday, April 26. Check-in starts at 7:15 a.m., and the race starts at 8 a.m.
The admission fee is $35 prior to Race Day and $40 on Race Day, plus $5 for nonresidents. To register online, visit bit.ly/RunForTheHealthOfIt5K25.
The event is presented by Madison Heights Recreation and sponsored by Rickey Busler, associate broker at RE/MAX. The event has been held each year since April 2008.
But not everything is exactly the same. This year’s 5K follows an updated route since the old Active Adult Center is no longer on John R Road.
The route begins in the parking lot of the nature center and proceeds onto 13 Mile Road towards the golf course. From there, participants make their way through the golf course to the foot bridge that takes them into the neighborhood. They then turn left onto Westmore Drive and right onto Yorkshire Drive, followed by another right turn onto Tanglewood Drive.
From there, they follow Tanglewood Drive across Sheffield Drive and take the cut-through to the Lamphere Center, and from there move along Tawas Street down to Robert Avenue. They then turn left onto Milton Avenue, and make a quick right onto Cynthia Avenue.
At Rose Street, the participants turn left and follow the road into the lot at Simonds Elementary. Once there, they turn left again and proceed to the nature center entrance.
But it’s not over yet — the route continues left onto Forest Trail, following the path and staying right to turn onto Sensory Trail. From there, participants turn right through the parking lot and left onto Habitat Trail, keeping left at the fork to reach the exit back to the parking lot.
Then they turn right to reach the finish line.
“I participated in the 5K last year,” said Madison Heights City Councilmember Sean Fleming. “There were people running, walking and jogging. And I can tell you that there were many seniors participating in it, and they did very well. Everyone was just excited to be there.
“The route is just so beautiful,” he added. “It goes through the Red Oaks Golf Course and the neighborhoods and the ballparks, and back into the woods at the nature center. So for like half of the run you’re immersed in all this scenery that is so nice to look at, and it takes your mind off things. Regardless of what your exercise level is, it’s just a great way to kick off spring.”
Suarez Friendship Woods is one of the city’s best-kept secrets — an oasis of greenery in the heart of Madison Heights, hidden away from the roads, where visitors can enjoy peace and quiet on woodland trails. The experience comes complete with a museum chock-full of educational exhibits.
The park is popular with walkers and bicyclists, as well as those taking their dog for a stroll or watching the many birds that make the woods a stopover on their migratory travels. There are educational programs throughout the year that make extensive use of the trails, and a special “Storybook Trail” features installations that tell a story as one proceeds along the path.
The park itself spans 37 acres, with about 1.5 miles of paved trails. The oldest trees are estimated to be between 100 and 150 years old. The southern portion of the park has been wooded and wet since at least 1937, and very likely since the late 1800s.
The park also encompasses some of the last remaining mesic flatwoods in southeast Michigan, characterized by plants such as cottonwoods, hickories and sycamores that thrive in damp soil. Many wildflowers emerge in the spring and throughout the summer and fall, including mayapple, red and white trillium, goldenrods, Jack-in-the-pulpits and asters.
Roslyn Grafstein, the mayor of Madison Heights, said the woods are a valued part of the city.
“They are not only vital for physical health but also for mental wellness. As we continue to grow and develop, these natural spaces remind us how important it is to strike a balance between progress and preservation,” Grafstein said in an email.
As for the 5K, “It’s an event filled with energy and community pride, as friends and family cheer one another on,” she said. “It also highlights the importance of our public spaces — places where people of all ages can run, walk and gather.”