The 50th annual Bellin Run will be a star-studded affair featuring current elite athletes and icons of the sport. The second-to-none 10K field includes a total of eight past Bellin Run champions, spanning the years of 1977 through 2025, and promises outstanding competition as the event celebrates its milestone golden anniversary.
Returning running icons include:
• Frank Shorter, a legendary runner who won the first Bellin Run in 1977. Shorter will lead the race from the 50th anniversary pace car, sharing the honor with Bellin Run founder, longtime race director and former Bellin Health president and CEO George Kerwin.
• Joan Benoit Samuelson, who won the first-ever women’s Olympic marathon in Los Angeles in 1984. Samuelson notched Bellin Run wins in 1986, 1988, 1991 and 1992 and still holds three age group course records (50-54, 55-59 and 60-64).
• Bill Rodgers who is known as “Boston Billy” for his four Boston Marathon wins in the 1970s. Rodgers took home the Bellin Run crown in 1978.
• Dan Held of Pewaukee, the 1996 Bellin Run champion who is returning to the race after a multi-year hiatus.
• Jim Drews of De Pere, a renowned local runner who earned several Bellin Run top-3 finishes in his heyday.
Current top elites include:
• Jared Ward, a top-10 Olympic marathoner who has four Bellin Run wins to his credit after breaking the tape in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
• JP Flavin, who narrowly bested Ward to win his first Bellin Run title in 2025. Last year’s eight-second difference (Flavin ran 29:23 to Ward’s 29:31) and a continued history of close races between the two should make for an intensely competitive golden anniversary finish.
• Risper Gesabwa, who holds a record eight Bellin Run titles (including a streak of five consecutive wins from 2012 through 2016). Gesabwa is returning to the event for the first time since 2022.
• Amy Davis-Green, the defending Bellin Run women’s champ who broke the tape in her event debut in 2025.
“Part of the enduring appeal of the Bellin Run is the opportunity to run in the same race as elite athletes and running icons,” said Race Director Linda Maxwell. “And this year’s crop of top athletes, past and present, is extra special. We are so excited for them to join us to celebrate the 50th annual Bellin Run.”
The 50th annual Bellin Run will take place at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 13. For more information or to register, visit bellinrun.com. Follow the Bellin Run on Facebook and Instagram.