Following in her father's footsteps

Nothing says fall in metro Detroit like the Free Press Marathon.

Dr. Huszti should know, he’s run in several of them. But this year was a little more special as he ran it with his oldest daughter, Olivia.

About a month before the event Olivia came to him and asked if he would run the half marathon with her. As a dental student at Detroit Mercy Dental and president of the first-year class, Olivia has a pretty full schedule, so finding time for training was not easy. But she did what she could. She drew on her time as a cross country runner during undergrad at University of Detroit Mercy. They trained mostly separately, Dr. Huszti giving her tips and advice right up to starting line and encouragement throughout the race.

The day came and it was picture perfect for marathon running. Sunny and warm, but not too warm, one of those fall days that are only made in Michigan.

They ran in tandem and matching singlets bearing the red and blue of Detroit Mercy, where Dr. Huszti graduated in 1992 with a D.D.S. (Olivia will graduate in 2026.) Each bib had a nickname on it: His “Shake” and her’s “Bake.” On the sidelines cheering them on were Anna Chong-Huszti, also a 1992 graduate of Detroit Mercy Dental and Sophia Huszti, Olivia’s younger sister and a current student at Detroit Mercy, studying pre-dental.

It was a little easier for Dr. Huszti to run the course, since his training wasn’t encumbered by classes and clinicals, so when they got to mile 12 of the 13.1-mile course he enjoyed a beer handed to him by former marathon champ and well-known Milford name Mike Anderson.

They finished the route in an hour and 56 minutes, but the memories will last for much longer.

“We had a blast,” Dr. Huszti said.