"Home of PU" half-marathon now in Flora

FLORA, Ind. (WLFI) - The Home of Purdue (PU) Half Marathon will move from Tippecanoe County into neighboring county. Organizers raced to find a new place to hold the event after Lafayette, West Lafayette and Purdue University refused to support the run. Carroll County will now host the October 24 race.

"I just look at it as a positive,” said Director of the Carroll County Community Center, Don Franklin.

The Carroll County Community Center will be the charity benefiting from the run. Franklin said he has known race organizer, Dean Reinke, for 30 years through a running club. The center will provide volunteers for the race, but the amount of money it will receive has not been calculated.

"We are using the money to help with our healthy lifestyles program,” said Franklin.

The race route is still being decided, but here's what is known: The Town of Flora Clerk -Treasurer told News Channel 18 the race will begin and end in Flora Park. Reinke declined an interview, but he said over the phone the route will be “very flat.” Some runners have asked for a refund because the race is not what they expected. Amy Hinshaw and her husband are both Purdue alums who were looking forward to jogging around campus.

"We had planned on running at Purdue,” said Hinshaw. "None of us have an interest in participating in a race that will take place in Flora."

Reinke said the event is still within the metro area of Greater Lafayette. Hinshaw sought to get her and her husband's $60 registration fee back, but Reinke wrote in an email to her there are no refunds.

Reinke told News Channel 18 he hopes to have a race course finalized by the second week in September 2010 and that it will be an annual event held in Carroll County. The name, Home of Purdue Half Marathon, will remain the same. A press released from Reinke said around 1,000 runners have signed up for the race.