CHARI NORDGAARD KNUEPPEL: FAMILY WITH ATHLETIC HISTORY, FUTURE ENCOURAGES OTHERS TO SET GOALS AND WORK AT THEM EVERY DAY

March 19, 2024 With a family history chock-full of athletic achievements, Chari Nordgaard Knueppel and her family had another highlight earlier this month with the announcement that their son, Kon II, had been named the recipient of the Wisconsin Mr. Basketball Award.  Ranked the #16 boys’ high school player in the nation, the 6’-6” five-star

AARON BARTNIK AND CARLI SCHULZ BARTNIK: NOW HAVING A DIFFERENT APPRECIATION OF WHAT RUNNING HAS BROUGHT TO THEIR LIVES

March 2, 2022   Eden Prairie cross country, nordic skiing, and track and field athletes Aaron Bartnik and Carli Schulz connected through their community school and sports and are now married.  The pair have many similarities:  they both first competed in soccer, remember finishing second in the phy ed mile run—and missing out on a

Gabriele Anderson Grunewald: Fighter

September 9, 2023 Today the sixth running of the Brave Like Gabe 5k and Gabe’s life were celebrated. Among the family members, I met Gabe’s father, Kim Anderson, and brother Caleb Anderson, both physical therapists. The Anderson family is from Perham, Minnesota, a recreational paradise in Otter Tail County in the northern part of the

Yes, you expect numerous Winter Games Olympians from Duluth, but there are at least two Duluth athletes who have competed in the Summer Games: rower Dave Krmpotich, a bronze medalist in the 1988; and Kara Wheeler Goucher, a famed distance runner. Let’s concentrate on Kara, a two-time Olympian (2008 in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs

MINNESOTA STATE HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE HALL OF FAME CEREMONY

Hall of Fame ceremonies are joyful events: people who have contributed to their community, school, or profession are recognized for making an impact on others and their vocation. Friends and family members are there to support the nominees and emotional moments are commonplace. Beginning in 2015, I began attending the MSHSL Hall of Fame ceremony

HISTORY AND RESULTS OF GRANDMA’S MARATHON

The running scene of Minnesota shines at Grandma’s Marathon events in Duluth. Debuting in 1978 with 150 participants, the marathon was first sponsored by Duluth-based Grandma’s Restaurant. The setting, hospitality, and Minnesota running community helped it explode in popularity. Distance running icons Garry Bjorklund (Proctor), Barney Klecker, and Dick Beardsley (Excelsior) won 5 of the

Duluth Races, More Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame Inductees

Several races were hosted in Duluth in conjunction with Grandma’s Marathon and many runners with Minnesota connections had notable achievements. Carrie Tollefson a recent Villanova University Hall of Fame inductee, won the women’s William Irvin 5K with a time of 18:21 while Team USA Minnesota runner Tyler Jermann placed an impressive 12th in the marathon.

Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame

Other than professional sports halls of fame, I had seldom visited galleries honoring athletes, coaches, and contributors. That changed when I attended the Minnesota State High School League Hall of Fame in 2015 and witnessed the induction of coaches, administrators, fine arts leaders, athletes, and an official. Personal highlights were seeing people I had written

Minnesota’s Sub-4:30 Women Milers

Due to gender discrimination and misguided philosophies about the running endurance of women, the historic timeline for women running the mile is significantly less than men and as a result many fewer women have run under 4:30 (an arbitrary time) in a timed mile competition than men breaking the 4-minute mile barrier. While I found