Member spotlight

Julie Balamut

When did you start running and why?

I began running after college because I was out of shape and running was the cheapest and most convenient sport I could find.

Why do you run or what keeps you motivated?

I have been running regularly for over 35 years and it is the single most important way for me to manage stress, depression and anxiety. I never have to worry about being motivated because it is so important for my wellbeing.

What do you consider to be your favorite distance/race?

Even though they are a lot of work, the marathon is my favorite because it rewards discipline and hard work. I find the other distances are better for people with talent and speed; both of which I have none!

What is your best memory from a race?

My best race memory is when I met a time goal at Grandma’s Marathon after 13 attempts. My husband and MDRA friends were at the finish to celebrate (finally!) with me.

What does a typical week of training look like for you?

I always try to do a longer run on Saturday, no matter if I’m training or not. Right now, I do five to seven miles four days a week, a long run of 16-20 on Saturday and a short recovery run on Sunday. I also do Vinyasa yoga with a very energetic teacher and a bike ride on Sunday. I do a little yoga on my rest day.

What is your shoe of choice?

I have run in Air Nimbus by ASICS for the last 18 years. I’m afraid to try anything else because the Nimbus works so well for me.

What is your favorite quote?

“Bid me Run and I will strive for things Impossible.” Julius Caesar, Wm. Shakespeare.

What are your interests outside of running?

I’m very much of an introvert and I enjoy reading nonfiction and listening to classical music. I have a graduate degree in systematic theology so I also read a lot of theology and philosophy.

What are your favorite pre- and post-race meals?

My favorite before a marathon is steamed brown rice, broccoli and cold cottage cheese all mixed together with soy sauce. After the marathon, I have two large McDonald’s French fries with lots of salt and a Starbuck’s extra-large Vanilla Bean cooler.

What’s your bucket list/running goal for 2017?

I hope to finish my 25th marathon at Grandma’s and not die. If I finish absolute last, that will be OK.

Why are you a member of the MDRA?

I’m the poster child of “If she can do it, anybody can do it!” I’m totally unathletic and would not have considered doing longer distances without the easy going, yet wise advice and training with my friends at MDRA. I have served as a team leader many times and have met incredible folks both extremely talented and extremely

Julie balamut. Photo by Neil Craigan Photography

stubborn in MDRA. I recommend MDRA to everybody who asks me about my “running” career. I believe the group is the single best group in the Twin Cities for beginning, non-athletic folks just like me to find a wonderful way to keep in shape. My MDRA friends are still some of the finest people I have met and am honored to still count as friends.

Have you participated in any MDRA training programs or races? If so, describe your experience?

I did the MDRA training program for both the fall and spring marathons a few times. I couldn’t have done a first marathon without this program. It was so much fun. Later, my husband, Chris, and I became a team leaders. We both had a blast meeting such great folks. As a person with no running talent, being asked to be team leader was a thrill I will never forget. I also helped team lead with Gloria Jansen and Kathryn Benhardus with the MDRA women’s program a few times. Both are incredible coaches, especially for beginning women runners and both have been a true inspiration to me.

20 YEARS GONE REMEMBERING Remembering the life of Brian Kraft

BY PETE MILLER

Iwrote the article below a decade ago. Craig Yotter and I were getting ready to stage the tenth annual Brian Kraft Memorial 5K. The event was started by some of Brian’s friends in 1998 and Craig and I decided to keep it going when they stepped away in 2004. It’s fair to say that neither of us expected to be planning the twentieth annual race this spring.

Initially, we just didn’t want to see a good race fall by the wayside. Our friends liked it. The parkway around Lake Nokomis provides a fast course, and the weather is generally pretty decent on Memorial Day morning. Even ten years ago, the race seemed like a throwback. You get a shirt. No medal. Water and Bananas. For most participants, the main draw is simply the opportunity to run fast, with other people who are running fast.

But I always had another motivation. I wanted people to remember Brian Kraft. As a young distance runner growing up in Bemidji, Brian was my hero. He was our state champion. Years after he’d graduated, Brian would still show up at track practice once each spring. It always seemed to be on a day when we were running intervals. Brian would complete the workout with the lead group, talking the whole time. He almost never stopped talking. It was easy to forget that he was a cancer patient by then. Maybe that was the point.

So, we’re going to keep this thing going for a while longer. For Brian. For our friends. For anyone who just wants to run fast.

Ten Years Gone

Brian Kraft Remembered for Enthusiasm, Drive

Originally published in Minnesota Running & Track magazine

Courtesy of USATF Minnesota

Some of us didn’t know about Brian Kraft before he had a race named in his honor. Most of us didn’t know Brian Kraft before he had cancer. But there was, of course, a time when he ran without that burden.

Dennis Bartz was in his first year of coaching at Bemidji High School when he discovered Kraft, an eighth grader, running hurdles. Bartz convinced him to move up to the distance events.

According to Bartz, Kraft had some obvious natural abilities. “He did have that good ability to turn over fast but also had a nice extension for a long stride. Sometimes that is just a natural thing that really makes some people fast.”

But it wasn’t all talent. Bartz recalls Kraft doing frequent extra morning runs and weekend mileage. “He worked very hard and did whatever I asked of him. He was way into my system and would do everything that I could throw at him.”

The system worked. Kraft concluded his high school career in 1981 with state championships at both 1600 and 3200 meters. He accepted a track scholarship to Missouri, with big dreams of what his college career might be.

Then, the cancer: Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, in his back. He was only 19, really just getting rolling. But he fought it, and he kept running. Fifteen years of chemotherapy, surgeries, a bone marrow Brian Kraft is pictured racing while in high school in bemidji. Photo courtesy of Monte Draper, Bemidji Pioneer

transplant and running. This is how most of us knew Kraft. The cancer kept coming back. And he kept running.

When people talk about Kraft today, his personality is what they recall. Even in high school, he had an effect on people. His abundant self-confidence could be mistaken for arrogance. According to Bartz, “he always seemed to have an inherent drive to do well, and just kind of looked at himself as being ahead of the game.”

Kraft couldn’t contain his enthusiasm for the sport. He loved running and he loved talking about running. He loved that it could make people better.

According to friend and co-worker Lori McElwain, “Since he couldn’t run like he once did he was happy to run at all and always wanted to talk about your running and your fitness. He was a great person. Many people would have lost their enthusiasm for running or life, but he never did.”

Brian Kraft died ten years ago this fall, on September 4, 1997. He was 34 years old. This Memorial Day marks the tenth running of the Brian Kraft Memorial 5K -- one fast lap around Nokomis to celebrate his life, and his sport. The race has once again been designated as the USATF Minnesota 5K Championships.