Bellin Run Legend Connie Meek returns for 50th consecutive race

GREEN BAY – Though there are many dedicated runners in the Green Bay area who make an effort to participate in the Bellin Run each year, few are able to say that they’ve competed in all 50 runs.
Connie Meek will be one of two female runners to be able to do so this June when she takes to the course for her 50th consecutive Bellin Run to retain her ‘Legend’ title.

“It’s a great way to stay fit. The Bellin Run is probably one of the most fun running races where you can do it seriously or you can do it casually. You can walk it or you can run it, and that appeals to a lot of people. I think with the big crowd and all the excitement — there are so many people and so many different abilities — it’s really inviting,” said Meek.

When the Bellin Run originally began in 1977, Meek said that it was a pure luck that she found out about the race.

“I was living in Milwaukee and some friends of mine who lived in Green Bay knew I was a runner and they contacted me saying, ‘You’ve got to come to Green Bay this weekend and do this Bellin Run because not only do you get to run the race, but you get a free ticket to the Hellen Ready concert that night.’ I was a Hellen Ready fan, so I said ‘Okay, I’m coming!’ The next year I got offered a job in Green Bay, so I ended up moving from Milwaukee to Green Bay and so I just kept doing the run. After I did like 10 in a row I thought, ‘I’ve got to keep going,’” said Meek. “That first race was really fun because I think I was fourth or fifth overall as a woman and it was probably my fastest race.”

As one of less than 20 people to have been around since the beginning of the Bellin Run, Meek said that it has been interesting to see how it has changed over the years and the impact it has had on the community.

“It’s definitely gotten bigger since it started, the route has changed a bit here and there and the fact that they have added the wheelchair and myTEAM TRIUMPH. Now they also have the 5K. They continue to reach out to more and more people,” said Meek.
However, according to Meek, the Bellin Run is not the only thing that has had to adapt throughout the years.

“My training regimen through about the age of 40 was to be a pretty serious runner and do races often. I did a few marathons here and there. As I aged, I also became involved in more sports. I am a competitive cross country skier. That was probably my favorite sport once I started getting into it. I’ve done the American Berkebeiner races — about 40 of those. After I retired, I started doing some triathlons and inline skating races. Running was not the only thing that I would do, just part of it. Now that I’m getting pretty close to 80, running is getting a little bit harder — harder on the joints, harder on the heart. I do mostly run-walking now,” said Meek.

Yet, with her athletic background, Meek said she is hoping her body carries her through several more Bellin Runs.

“I was actually a pretty serious field hockey player in high school and college and after college for nine years. When it was the offseason, I did a lot of running to try and stay in shape and to train all year round. I also coached track and coached the distance runners. That kept me running too. The years I did live in Green Bay, we had a really nice running club and we had weekly runs, even over the winter. We did a lot of training that way,” said Meek.

“I’m really proud of the fact that even through some injuries I’ve been able to do the race for 49 years. I’m hopefully going to do at least ten more, but we’ll see.I’m going to keep going as long as I can.”

The 50th annual Bellin Run will take place on June 13, 2026.