‘Darrell was a great ambassador for the Big Bird Run’

ROSEVILLE —  Darrell McKee always ran a good race.

The longtime runner and polio survivor was a fixture at many local running events that tested the athletes on their skills, time and endurance. On the course, too, was where he made a lot of friends.

“He loved running. He just wanted to stay in shape physically and keep fit,” said widow Ellen McKee, of Harrison Township. “He just loved all the people he came into contact with. He loved the camaraderie of it and the people he met.”

After what Ellen described as “a bad fall,” McKee died this year on Feb. 23 at the age of 90. Many years earlier, the 1952 Roseville High School graduate started running after he gave up drinking alcohol.

“He used to be a drinker,” Ellen said, but when he stopped, “he lost a lot of his drinking buddies.”

That’s when the U.S. Army veteran laced up a pair of sneakers and decided he’d rather jog than drink. For 39 years, McKee participated in the annual Recreation Authority of Roseville and Eastpointe’s Big Bird Run. At this year’s event on Nov. 9, a moment of silence was held to honor McKee. Ellen was present, as was her daughter, Becky Harris, and RARE Director Tony Lipinski.

“Darrell was a great ambassador for the Big Bird Run. He was running as a catalyst for the rest of his life,” Lipinski said. “We want to honor him because he was such an ambassador for the Big Bird Run.”

At every Big Bird Run, McKee asked for the race number that matched his year in the event. For instance, during his 10th year he wore No. 10 on his shirt; for his 39th year, it was No. 39. Even during the times he lived in Florida, he flew back just for the Big Bird Run.

While the Big Bird Run was his favorite event, McKee could often be spotted at other local races. He always went the distance while sprinting around Belle Isle in Detroit. He competed in almost 50 full marathons, did the Boston Marathon four times, and twice won in his age group at the Detroit International Marathon in 1992 and 1994. He was rewarded with numerous medals and trophies. McKee had a couple of rituals that helped make him successful on the track. 

“He had to get to the races early and he wore Irish flag shorts,” Harris said.

When Harris, who was McKee’s stepdaughter, ran in high school, “He encouraged me,” Harris said. He also cheered her on at swim meets.

“He was very supportive,” Harris said. “He was always encouraging you to pursue what makes you happy.”

Residents also might remember McKee from his years as warehouse manager in East Detroit Public Schools (now Eastpointe Community Schools). McKee stopped running a few years ago when he got into his upper 80s.

His memory lives on at RARE. In lieu of flowers at his funeral, the family suggested donations to RARE’s Connor McMahon Scholarship, which raised almost $1,000. The scholarship helps provide funding for the Summer Day Camp for families in need.

McMahon was a scorekeeper, summer day camp instructor, building supervisor and park attendant at RARE. The 23-year-old Fraser High School teacher was killed in a hit-and-run car crash June 13, 2023, while changing a tire on the shoulder of Interstate 94 in Harper Woods.

A total of 303 runners registered this year for the Big Bird Run, although not as many showed up, possibly due to the snow that fell in the early morning hours on event day Nov. 9. Several sponsors helped the event run smoothly. 

Runners paid a participation fee, and there is a 1-mile walk, a 5-kilometer run and a 10-kilometer run throughout the city. Money raised benefited the following charities: the Roseville Optimist Club, the Roseville Lions Club, Live Rite Structured Recovery Inc., Roseville Jr. Sports, Roseville High School Band Boosters and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.

According to Lipinski, the past few years the Big Bird Run has raised $3,000 to $4,000, which is divided between the nonprofit organizations. Awards are given out for winners in the different age groups. Participants also have a chance to win frozen turkeys. 

Stacy and Andy Skaltsounis, of Clinton Township, participated in their 20th Big Bird Run this year, where they both placed third in their age group. The event has become a tradition for them, and it’s a course they really like.

“A lot of fast runners come out to this event, so it’s hard,” Andy, 51, said. “It makes it easier when people run with you.” 

“It’s something we do together,” Stacy said. “We have other friends here, and you never know who you’ll run into.”

When on track, the couple will receive an occasional wave from drivers or they’ll hear a car horn from someone cheering them on.