Ryan Abella, a reporter for the Kingman Daily Miner in Kingman, Arizona, dug into the newspaper’s archives for a story on the very first Arizona Route 66 Fun Run in 1988.
The 28th edition of the Fun Run finishes today. Abella found some fascinating tidbits about the inaugural event:
— The Fun Run started not long after Angel Delgadillo and Jerry Richard helped found the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona in 1987. Also, the group managed to persuade the Arizona in just nine months to designate that unbroken stretch of Route 66 in the western part of the state as a historic road — light-speed action on the legislative level.
— The first Fun Run on April 22-28, 1988, featured the governor, Will Rogers Jr. and the Dick Clark Band.
— The inaugural Fun Run had 153 entrants — a remarkable total for a first-year event. The Fun Run now has 800 to 900 entrants each year.
— Delgadillo was bowled over by the interest and excitement of that first event. He was his typical quotable self:
“Some people have said that Route 66 is a sleeping giant, but it’s not a giant. It’s a monster,” Delgadillo said with a laugh. “Just being here today is proof that we’re on the right road. This road has meant a lot to the communities. In Seligman, we thought we were abandoned. This here proves we’re not.”
Delgadillo now is 88 years old and still greets visitors at his barber shop on Route 66 almost daily.
(Image of the 2014 Fun Run finish line in Golden Shores, Arizona by John Hagstrom via Flickr)