Adam Frye: From the Gateway of the Bluff Country to the Crest of the Cascades

August 3, 2023 A native of Chatfield in the Bluff Country of southeastern Minnesota, Adam Frye was introduced to running as a youth of five or six years of age when he ran a mile race at Planview Corn on the Cob Days with his father, Chris, a former high school runner who later co-founded

MINNESOTA ATHLETES FINDING SUCCESS ON ALTERNATIVES TO ROAD RACES AS THEY ENTER TRAIL AND SPARTAN COMPETITIONS

December 27, 2022 Trail running is finding increasing popularity as runners seek out alternatives to road racing in an effort to find a running sector easier on their joints, include a more varied with turns and elevation changes, and more natural scenery. Garrett Heath (Winona) won the USATF Half Marathon Trail Championships hosted on American

ELIZABETH YETZER SPEHAR: NO MATTER HOW I PERFORM, I AM LOVED

With older siblings following their mother’s footsteps, Elizabeth Yetzer says, “It [running] was a big part of my parents’ lives and we saw that modeled.  Naturally, you just kind of hop in.”  Jake, Rebekah, and Annie were the older siblings and Mary Stepka, the state runner-up in the mile run to future World Cross Country

MINNESOTA ATHLETES AT THE US OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIALS

Minnesota has a rich heritage in long-distance running with many state athletes competing on the world stage. People sometimes forget that qualifying for an Olympics Trials is a tremendous achievement that involves running thousands–probably tens of thousands in many cases–of miles, overcoming injuries, perseverance, and time management and balancing life for years. University of Minnesota

Milestones

Several Minnesota athletes achieved personal, national, or global milestones in recent days. We would like to congratulate and recognize them! Ladia Albertson-Junkans (Stillwater; U of M Academic All-American Accord) ran an Olympic Trials marathon qualifying time of 2:41:52 at the Silo District Marathon in Waco, Texas. At the same event, Gabriele Anderson Grunewald took first

Women’s National Cross Country Championship–Open Division

Debuting in 1964, the women’s cc national championships has had only one Minnesota athlete crowned as its champion: Emily Brown (West Allis, WI, U of M) in 2007 at the Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood, MD. It was a dominant win as Emily cruised through the 8 K race in a time of 26:58–more