Beyond the finish line: Inside Alex’s Great State Race

For 12 years, the game day football has been carried on the 64-mile trek between the respective homes of the state’s most famous college sports rivalry — Ann Arbor and East Lansing. This year, with East Lansing hosting the Michigan State University versus University of Michigan football game, the grueling run began at 1 a.m. on a crisp autumn morning in Ann Arbor.

But the relay-style race these two Big Ten Army ROTC units teamed up for wasn’t just a test of endurance and camaraderie. It was a shared mission.

In 2011, Juliana and David Powell lost their son, Alex, to cancer. With support from MSU’s Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, or RCPD, now a part of University Health and Wellbeing, and U-M’s medical care, Alex was able to attend one semester of college before entering hospice. To honor Alex’s legacy, his family created Alex’s Great State Race to raise awareness and funds for disability support services, ensuring that other students facing challenges can still experience college life like Alex did.

ROTC cadets took turns running the game day ball, followed by a support bus to break up the 64-mile journey, which measures more than twice the length of a marathon. These cadets balance full-time college coursework with officer and leadership training.

An aerial drone captured the runners as they neared Ingham County along rural back roads. By sunrise, the runners had been moving for more than seven hours and were two-thirds of the way to East Lansing.

Wearing green or blue, the cadets ran side by side, not as rivals, but as teammates unified in facing the adversity and loss that life brings. More than a race, the run symbolizes resilience, compassion and the capacity to care.

The final mile

Meanwhile, the Michigan State campus was buzzing with game day energy as tents and tailgates went up. In rare form, maize and blue balloons were strung with green and white at the finish line. By 11:15 a.m., a crowd of supporters had gathered by Demonstration Hall to cheer the runners as they rounded The Spartan statue.

MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D., joined Athletic Director J Batt and others for the final 1.7-mile campus stretch toward Spartan Stadium. As the runners approached the finish, stoic expressions gave way to relief, joy and pride — and perhaps a renewed perspective.

To highlight disability inclusion, the race finishers included hand-cyclists, including Robert Briseño, RCPD operations coordinator, and Anya Cobler, stewardship program coordinator at U-M’s Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services.

Accessibility benefits everyone, and the race honors the services that centers like RCPD provide students with disabilities, like the way they supported Alex when cancer challenged his daily activities.

Alex’s Great State Race doesn’t just build bridges, it breaks down barriers and changes perspectives. It sets a path forward toward a purposeful goal of inclusion, accessibility and human dignity.

As the cadets entered Demonstration Hall, they were greeted by the Spartan Marching Band playing “Victory for MSU.” Speakers reflected on the significance of the event, including RCPD Director Allen Sheffield, who joined the campus leg of the run.

“Alex’s Great State Race is more than a tradition, it’s a movement,” said Sheffield. “Expanding inclusion requires ensuring that accessibility becomes the standard we hold ourselves to.”

Other speakers included President Guskiewicz, Athletic Director Batt, Juliana Powell and Anya Cobler, representing U-M’s ROTC Captain Louis Goldstein. Will Tieman, president of WGHN Radio and Michigan State basketball sportscaster, closed the program by reminding the audience, “If you’re looking for something good that’s happening, it’s all right here.”

Photos in this story were captured by Anthony Siciliano, Nick Schrader and Garret Morgan.