President’s Letter

BY ROCHELLE CHRISTENSEN

Hello runners,

We are halfway through 2019 and by now many of us have had opportunities to measure some of our 2019 goals. Some are making progress towards goals while some have had some setbacks. I think we have all experienced both progress and setbacks during our running journey. But we keep lacing up the shoes and enjoying our hobby - running!

While volunteering at several MDRA races this spring, I talked to many runners after finishing their races. I saw the joy, passion and the camaraderie of the running community. Thank you to those who volunteered and ran MDRA spring races. If you were not able to attend our spring races, there are still four MDRA events yet this year in August and September: Como Relays, MDRA 15K, Victory 5K/10K and City of Lakes Half Marathon.

MDRA is going green by reducing the amount of waste generation and creating a more positive impact on the environment. MDRA has paperless race and training class registration. We reuse race bibs at several MDRA races. Marathon training classes are using individual reusable cups replacing paper cups. We are always looking for ideas to continue our sustainability efforts.

The MDRA Grant Program through the MDRA Foundation is about providing resources to an organization that promotes participation, safety in running and that demonstrates a financial need to achieve their mission. This is the third year of the MDRA Grant Program providing financial resources. Congratulations to Lucy Laney Running Club on receiving the 2019 grant. Lucy Laney Running Club promotes running for fifth grade girls in North Minneapolis. We know these dollars make an immediate impact but the long term impact of encouraging running will be priceless to these kids..

Do you want to give back to MDRA? There are a couple options: by donating to the MDRA foundation and/or by volunteering. To contribute to the foundation, go to www. runmdra.org/about-mdra/mdrafoundation. We always need volunteers. If you are interested in being part of our volunteer team go to www.runmdra.org/about-mdra/volunteer/.

In this issue, we remember Gabe Grunewald for her courage and bravery. Her drive, courage and grace has brought the running community together. Her many running achievements are far overshadowed by her personal achievements in her fight for rare cancer research. She taught us all how to be “Brave like Gabe”.

Enjoy your summer and this edition of RunMinnesota. Rochelle Christensen President, MDRA Board of Directors

Nate Leckband has been running off and on since his junior year of high school in 2000 and has been hooked ever since running the Twin Cities Marathon in 2009. He’s raced in distances from the mile to the 50K. He currently works as a teacher and coach and enjoys running with his wife and pushing his son in the jogging stroller. You can read his blog at tchuskerrunning.blogspot.com.

NATE LECKBAND

DENNIS Barker is a coach, MDRA & USATF Board Member and writer, author of The River Road, in addition to training articles for a variety of publications.

DENNIS BARKER

Sarah Barker runs and writes from her dining room in St. Paul. She really enjoys the Como Park Relays, and really doesn’t enjoy being photographed.

SARAH BARKER

CHAD Austin is a long-time runner, having followed his dad out the door at the age of 10. If he’s not running, you can probably find him cross-country skiing or fat biking. He currently lives in Apple Valley with his wife Amy and their 2 daughters. He’s interested in all things running in Minnesota and you can follow him on Twitter @MinnesotaRunner.

CHAD AUSTIN

Sheila Mulrooney Eldred’s friends are, for the most part, runners (she even married one of them, and she still gets together with five members of her college cross country team, over 20 years later). She’s written for The New York Times, the Washington Post, Nature, STAT News, FiveThirtyEight … and, of course, Runner’s World.

SHEILA MULROONEY ELDRED

Senior Editor:

Gloria Jansen

Art Director:

Chad Richardson

Advertising Coordinator/Sales:

Sarah Ahlers McInerney

Photographer:

Wayne Kryduba

Results:

Jack Moran

MDRA Officers: Rochelle Christensen, President

Kathy Larsen, Vice President Jenny Scobie, Secretary Steve Hennessy, Treasurer

MDRA Board Members:

Chad Austin, Dennis Barker, Norm Champ, David Daubert, Tom Goudreault, Jill Jewell, Rick Recker, Damon Rothstein, Sarah Stangl, Christopher Turoski

Contact RunMinnesota!

RunMinnesota P.O. Box 6419 Minneapolis, MN 55406-0419 runminnesota@gmail.com

RunMinnesota magazine is published four 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.