The Earth Week 4 Mile Run took place on Saturday on Ely's Trezona Trail. It was a nice sunny day with temperatures in the high sixties at the end of the race. Will Helms completed the 4-mile loop in 23:57 to win the men's race, and Emily Swor won the women's division in 34:09. Ann Farley and Josh Kuechle won the walk with times of 53:31 and 54:00, respectively.

The Trezona Trail is a path around the wooded perimeter of Miner's Lake, the site of the old Pioneer Mine. The mine opened in 1887 and yielded millions of tons of iron ore before closing in 1967. The Trezona Trail is mostly paved, with a few dirt sections on the north side of the lake. The south side of the loop follows an old railroad bed and is primarily flat. The terrain of the north side is more varied, containing several hills and winding turns.

An English instructor at Vermilion Community College and the Ely High School track coach, Helms is a previous winner of the Earth Week 4 Mile Run, although he was unable to participate last year. At least one student inquired as to whether he would get an A in English if he was able to defeat Helms. Thus inspired, Helms won handily, finishing over a minute before the nearest competitor and dashing any hope of an alternative grading system. Helms will be running the Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon on June 16 and is hoping to be one of the top five in his age group.

No stranger to the Trezona Trail, Swor won the women's race for the third year in a row. This year’s title was by no means assured, as Swor and Heather Hohenstein traded the lead numerous times over the last three miles. Swor pulled out the victory with her kick down the homestretch, winning by three seconds. A paleontologist, Swor is moving to Thermopolis, Wyoming to work for the Wyoming Dinosaur Center and dig up dinosaurs, which is as good an excuse as any for not being able to run any more races in the Northland this year.

The Earth Week 4 Mile Run is put on by VCC's Recreation Programming Class. Taught by Bill Tefft, the class organizes the race every year to learn techniques for putting on a recreational event. The class adopted the Trezona Trail four years ago and takes the responsibility for keeping the trail clean and well-maintained.

The 18th Annual Fitger’s 5k took place on Saturday on Superior Street in downtown Duluth. Pre-race rain showers threatened to make the race a soggy endeavor, but the rain clouds let up just long enough for all runners to complete the course. 749 runners participated, some from as far away as Iowa and Michigan, in what is traditionally one of the largest 5ks in the area.

As you would expect from a race put on by Grandma’s Marathon, the administration of the race was well done. The race organizers went with chip timing this year, giving the race a professional touch. Also, any runner who has agonized through a chaotic race day registration line would appreciate the spacious and well-organized registration and packet pickup area, a necessity for an event drawing over 700 participants.

Runners started the race at the Fitger’s Brewery Complex, ran down Superior Street to Lake Avenue, looped through Canal Park on Lake Avenue and Canal Park Drive, ran an out-and-back spur on Railroad Street, and finished the homestretch on Superior Street in front of Fitger’s. The wet day caused some runners to experience some slippery footing on Superior Street’s brick pavement, but the coolness of the weather made for good racing temperatures.

Mike Benchina won the men’s division with a time of 16:42. A member of the Northwoods Minnesota running team, Mike’s teammates also took 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Desiree Budd made the trip from Mankato to capture the women’s title in 17:51.

Jeff Myers, of Superior, finished in 22:17, shaving a second off his time from last year. Jeff’s racing flats made traction interesting on slippery Superior Street, but he thought the cool weather and flat course made for ideal racing conditions. Jeff is registered for Grandma’s Marathon on June 16th and is gunning for the 3:30 Boston Marathon qualifier for his age group.

Jarrow Wahman, of Duluth, finished 3rd overall in 17:21. Jarrow’s team, Northwoods Minnesota, captured the top 4 places, demonstrating their dominance of the Northland running circuit. While you may not be used to seeing any place other than 1st after Jarrow’s name, he was pleased with his performance considering the number of injuries he has experienced the past few months. Slowed by calcium buildup in his heel and a troublesome IT band, Jarrow has taken up biking and swimming to complement his 20 miles a week of running. Not one for moping, Jarrow has taken this opportunity to embrace his cross-training and hopes to participate in a few triathlons this year, and possibly a half-Ironman in the fall.

Sisters Becky Baker, of Mercer, Wisconsin, and Cody Baker, of Duluth, made a family day of the event, completing the course with their parents. Driving 130 miles to compete in her first 5k, Becky had a successful race, saying “I felt pretty good and the number of people cheering along the course definitely helped.” The sharp incline from Railroad Street to Lake Avenue was not one of Becky’s favorite moments, but she had an overall good experience and hopes to compete in another 5k this year.

A portion of the proceeds from the race benefit the Young Athlete’s Foundation. Started in 1990, the YAF’s goal is to support youth athletics in the Duluth/Superior area. Organized by Grandma’s Marathon, the YAF donates shoes, sports equipment, and grants to area athletes and schools. To find out more about the YAF, call Grandma's Marathon at 218-727-0947 or visit their website.

The first annual Quick Steps for Kids took place on Saturday at the Grand Rapids Fairgrounds. The event consisted of 5k and 10k races as well as 1 mile and 200 yard dash races for kids.

The 5k and 10k participants completed a three-mile loop from the fairgrounds through downtown Grand Rapids. The 5k participants did the loop once, and the 10kers ran it twice. The last 1/3 mile of the loop wound around the shores of beautiful Crystal Lake.

Tim Welker, the male 5k winner, was happy to get out and enjoy the good weather and a relaxing start to the 2007 racing season. Recovering from a micro-tear of his Achilles tendon, Tim showed no signs of injury, completing the loop in 19:33. Stephanie Kessler quickly became a fan favorite for completing the 5k course while pushing a double-stroller containing her two children: William, 5, and Sarah, 3.

The Quick Steps for Kids races benefit two Itasca County family support programs: Step Ahead and Baby Steps. Step Ahead started in 2004 and provides parenting classes and support groups for parents all over Itasca County. Baby Steps opened in 2001 and is a boutique parents can purchase baby supplies with coupons earned at local distributors. For more information about these programs, contact Step Ahead at 218-326-1322 and Baby Steps at 218-326-2300.

Name: Leslie Semler
Age: 25
City: Hermantown, MN
Recent Accomplishment: 2007 Steve Chadwick 5k Female Winner


Leslie Semler grew up in Cambridge, Minnesota, an hour north of the Twin Cities. An avid outdoors person, Leslie spent a lot of time hiking and biking around her hometown and the mountains of Colorado. In ninth grade, Leslie decided to join a sports team at school. Other teams, like basketball and volleyball, were overflowing with kids who had been honing their skills in their chosen sport since kindergarten, so Leslie decided to try cross-country. Leslie enjoyed her first cross-country season and did well, and she has been running ever since.

After high school, Leslie attended Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids. ICC did not have a cross-country or track team, so Leslie ran on her own. After reading a variety of training sources, Leslie crafted her own training plan and finished the 2001 Grandma’s Marathon in 3:35.

After graduating from ICC, Leslie attended Michigan Tech in Houghton, Michigan. She ran cross-country and track, and graduated in 2004 with a geological engineering degree. When she was a senior, Leslie studied abroad in New Zealand. Despite living in another country, Leslie continued her training and completed the Christchurch Marathon in 3:19.

Leslie is currently a Junior Engineer for the Natural Resources Engineering Company in Superior, Wisconsin. The field work portion of her job is a good fit for her outdoor tendencies, although month-long field consulting trips can sometimes make it hard for her to get her scheduled training in.

Besides her running goals, Leslie is working on becoming a more well-rounded athlete. In order to mix up her training a bit, she often bikes to work, sometimes taking the scenic route to Superior over the Oliver Bridge. Last year Leslie participated in the First Annual Duluth Duathlon, and she is looking forward to improving her time this year. At some point in her career, Leslie would like to train for and complete a triathlon.

One tip Leslie offers other runners is to plan out your training schedule every week, especially your days off. Leslie constantly checks the weather forecast to see which days will be the best ones for running. There’s nothing like waking up on Saturday morning realizing you have to do fartlek workout in a blizzard in order to fulfill this week’s training schedule!

Name: Jordan Peterson
Age: 17
City: Duluth, MN
Recent Accomplishment: 2007 Steve Chadwick 5k Male Winner


After seeing Jordan Peterson win the Steve Chadwick 5k in convincing fashion, you would guess that he has been a distance runner all his life. In reality, competitive distance running is a recent endeavor in his quest to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

Admittedly not of the best physique in junior high, Jordan turned to his older brother Michael for inspiration. Michael, now serving as an air marshal, was also seeking to get in shape. Following his brother’s example, Jordan started exercising more, and often took to mountain biking along the Superior Hiking Trail and the Jay Cooke trail network. Eventually Jordan started getting into running as well. The ninth grade track season was Jordan’s first attempt at competitive running, and while he did not particularly enjoy it at first, he kept in touch with his coaches and decided to participate on the cross-country team last fall.

Something about competitive running really spoke to Jordan in the fall, and he has not looked back since. Under the guidance of Duluth Denfeld coach Gary Lepisto, Jordan embarked on a high-mileage winter training plan to get in shape for the spring track season, culminating with a 75 mile training schedule last week. Jordan’s 5k time has plummeted from the low 20s to 18:13 at the Steve Chadwick 5k. His goals for the season are to break 4:50 in the mile and be in the 10:00 to 10:20 range in the two mile. Jordan’s ultimate goal is to reach the state meet in either cross-country or track. He would like to thank his mother, Kay, his father, Mike, and his coaches at Duluth Denfeld for supporting him in his athletic endeavors.

When asked why he likes distance running so much, Jordan immediately came up with two reasons. First, running, along with his general fitness regimen, has made him realize how much he values having a healthy lifestyle. Besides getting a lot of exercise, Jordan also makes sure he eats healthy foods. He consumes a lot of carbs: cereal, Kashi, and whole wheat pasta, as well as a steady diet of vegetables. Jordan also tried a vegan diet for a while but found it too expensive to get the nutrients necessary to support his active lifestyle.

Jordan’s second reason for being addicted to running is the endurance factor, or as he puts it, 'the pain'. Jordan loves seeing how far he can push his body and enjoys the mental challenge of keeping a difficult pace. Jordan finds that the mental benefits he gets from running have helped him in school and in other areas of his life as well.

When he graduates from high school in 2008, Jordan is looking forward to running in college and pursuing a major in a health-related field, such as physical therapy or chiropractics. He may stay in the area and attend UMD or UWS, or he may venture farther afield to Mankato or even George Mason University in Virginia.

In the meantime, watch for Jordan ripping up the area tracks this spring. If he happens to show up at your door, do not be concerned. Just give him some whole wheat pasta, and he’ll be on his way.