6 minute read
President’s Letter
DAVE MAREK
Hello runners,
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We are off to another great year here at MDRA. It’s hard to believe we already have five of our spring races in the books with very nice turnouts for all of them. Thanks to those who ran and raced, and thank you to our volunteers for your help in putting these races on.
We are also off to a great start with our Grand Prix series. There are still plenty of races to go so please check it out on our website if you are interested. It’s a very low key way to scratch that competitive itch if you desire.
As I mentioned in my last letter we have been working on a few new things for 2017. Hopefully, you saw the news about our grant program we rolled out in April. As part of our mission we believe it is important to not only support the running community but to also give back and foster growth and interest. To that end, we announced the first MDRA Community Giving Grant and accepted proposals from groups or individuals focusing on participation and safety in running. This initial grant was for up to $500 and the selection will be made this month. Look for the announcement on our Facebook page, our website, or in our eNews email.
This grant program is something we are very pleased to be able to offer and I hope our membership is proud as well. We are in a position now to make this happen because of the support of our members and your participation in our races and programs. Being able to give back, whether in our personal lives or organizations we are active in, is a great feeling and something I believe in and heartily endorse. And we plan to do this again in the future if this is successful and well received. Thank you for your part in making this happen and please help spread the word to organizations or individuals you feel may be worthy in the future.
We have also recently announced a new trail training program that will begin this summer. There is no experience necessary and you will learn the in’s and outs of running off road. Similar to our spring and fall marathon classes we will target a goal race at the end of the class for those interested. There will also be guest trail leaders and speakers. We are very happy to offer this to those of you who have expressed interest in doing more trail running. Registration is now open and you know by now where to find more info – our website runmdra.org or our Facebook page.
While you are there please check out our other programs as well including Thursday night track workouts starting in June, our Saturday morning Polar Bear runs and, believe it or not, the fall marathon training class starting right after Grandma’s Marathon concludes in June.
Join us if you can and meet some of the great people we have at MDRA. A couple of those folks have made some news recently. One of our members (who is also currently serving on the board) just completed the North Pole marathon adding that to her Antarctic marathon back in 2015. Which proves she will literally go to the ends of the earth to run a marathon. Congratulations, Lisa Richardson! A nice little profile in the StarTribune as well: Klare case of Richfield is all smiles during the mdra lake johanna 4-mile race earlier this year.
Photo courtesy of Wayne Kryduba
http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-woman-conquered-antarctica-marathon-now-she-s-taking-on-the-northpole/418635663/
And member, Julie Balamut, was interviewed on Music with Minnesotans by Classical MPR. It can be heard here: http://www.classicalmpr.org/story/2017/03/31/bacharound-the-block-a-marathoners-music-with-minnesotans
Julie uses classical music to help her in training and gives the MDRA a very nice shout out. She will be running her 25th marathon this year. Congrats, Julie, good luck in your training and thank you for the nice shout out!
These are just two of the over 2,000 members we have and I am constantly impressed by the diversity and unique personalities of this organization.
In closing I wish all of you good running and good health as we head into summer. I would be remiss if I forgot my usual reminder that we are always looking for volunteers for our races, programs and events so let us know if you would like to help. Also, if you are planning to be in Duluth in June for Grandma’s weekend please stop by our booth at the expo. We’d love to see your smiling faces!
Dave Marek President, MDRA Board of Directors
CONTRIBUTORS
NATE LECKBAND
Nate Leckband is a running coach, teacher, husband and father to a one-year-old. He’s been running races from the mile to the 50k since 2009. You can read his blog at: tcruncoach.blogspot.com.
PETE MILLER
Pete Miller is the National Director of Run & Outdoor Cycle at Life Time, the Healthy Way of Life Company. He’s a former board member and past president of USA Track & Field Minnesota, as well as one of the founders of Down the Backstretch. Pete began his running career in Bemidji and has helped direct the Brian Kraft Memorial 5K for the past thirteen years.
KELLY TABARA
Kelly Tabara started running in 2001 to check off an important “Bucket List” item – the marathon. After running the 2002 Twin Cities Marathon, long distance running quickly became a focus. To date she has run 63 marathons, ultramarathons of 50K to 100 miles and an Ironman triathlon and has plans for many more. Kelly considers marathons and 50 mile events to be her favorite and is currently 28 States into a 50 States Marathon quest. Kelly is a long-time MDRA member and has coached several of the MDRA marathon training programs.
DAN JOHNSON
Following college, Dan enjoyed a few years of marathoning, including Boston, New York, Grandma’s and Twin Cities. His best marathon time was 2:24 at Twin Cities Marathon in the 1980s. In the last couple years, he has reunited with some old running buddies and now runs the city lakes on Monday evenings with the Road Warriors group, sponsored by Run N Fun. In addition to running with the Road Warriors, Dan looks forward to his daily runs to and from work.
JASON CHRUDIMSKY
Jason ran collegiately at Augsburg for three years, before embarking on a wildly (un)successful professional running career. He toiled for years, collecting in excess of $30 (all gift certificates) in prize money before finally, and somewhat reluctantly, achieving the coveted ‘Masters’ designation. Capitalizing on the prestige this designation bestows upon him, Jason seeks to amass unimaginable wealth in what he imagines is the extremely lucrative position of ‘Volunteer’ in the local running community. Despite his best attempts to the contrary, he also continues his progression towards the even more exclusive title of ‘Grand Master.’
Editor: Sarah Ahlers McInerney
Senior Editor: Gloria Jansen
Art Director: Chad Richardson
Photographer: Wayne Kryduba
Results: Jack Moran
MDRA Officers: Dave Marek, President Randy Fulton, Vice President Jenny Harrington, Secretary Nathan Klema, Treasurer
MDRA Board Members: Sheila Becker, Lisa Richardson, Nathan Campeau, Rick Recker, Rochelle Christensen, Sarah Stangl, Cindy Campbell, Kathy Larsen, Mike Cofrin and Dennis Barker
Contact RunMinnesota! RunMinnesota P.O. Box 6419 Minneapolis, MN 55406-0419 runminnesota@gmail.com
RunMinnesota magazine is published six times a year and is produced by the Minnesota Distance Running Association. RunMinnesota is available through a member subscription or at select retail locations. To get RunMinnesota mailed to you, join online at runmdra.org.
