Jen is relatively new the running community, having started running regularly in 2005, but she has managed to pack in a lot of experiences in that short amount of time. In two years, Jen has completed three half-marathons, recovered from an injury, done large amounts of cross-training, and even organized her own race.

Jen has three girls, ages 10, 8, and 3, and she enjoys sharing her running experiences with them. The girls often participate in the walking events at Jen’s races. They enjoy the feeling of accomplishment they get when they cross the finish line, and like all of us, they enjoy getting the t-shirts.

Along with raising her family, Jen works three part-time nursing jobs. As you can imagine with her busy schedule, Jen really treasures her runs and the peace-of-mind they bring. Jen finds that running clears her mind and gives her more energy and patience throughout the day.

Last October Jen tripped and injured her right hip. She managed to complete the Whistlestop Half Marathon despite the injury, but ended up not being able to run for five months afterwards. Never one to give up, Jen cross-trained heavily during those five months and was able to complete the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon in June despite not being able to run regularly until April. Unfortunately, this year Jen’s left hip is acting up. Once again she is working heavily on cross-training and improving her core body strength and is looking forward to being able to race again next year.

This year Jen decided to share her love of running with other people by reviving the Ma & Pa Kettle Run/Walk. The race had existed previously, but hadn’t been run for at least five years. Jen had never directed a race before, but undaunted, she organized both a 5k and 10k for the event with the help of many volunteers. If you participated that day, you no doubt appreciated the inflatable palm trees lining the finish area and the lei you received as you crossed the finish line.

As you can guess by the Ma & Pa Kettle Run’s exotic theme, Jen has always loved tropical places. One of Jen’s favorite vacations was in Maui, and someday Jen would like to run in the Maui Half Marathon. The scenic Avenue of the Giants Half Marathon in Northern California’s Humboldt Redwoods State Park is also on Jen’s race wish list. In the meantime, stop by Jen’s blog and check up on her latest running adventures.

For the first time in its 25-year history, the Edmund Fitzgerald 100k road race has been cancelled.  The race was scheduled to take place on October 13th.  It is possible it may be run next year.

Source:  Duluth News Tribune  (You may need to register with the News Tribune to view their online articles.  Registration is free).

The Mesabi Range Community & Technical College 5k took place Saturday, September 22nd, at MRCTC's Virginia campus.  The course started at the school's West parking lot, ran down Chestnut Street and Ninth Avenue, looped through Olcott Park, and returned to the school.  The sunny sixty-degree day made for good racing weather.

Edwin Koepp won the men's division in 18:24 despite having a cold.  Edwin ran in a pack with two other runners before taking the lead for good after the first mile.  This was Edwin's first 5k, having trained for longer races earlier in the year.  Edwin ran 1:35 at the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon in June.  This year Edwin started a running club at Vermilion Community College, where he is pursuing an Associate's Degree.  The VCC running club finished second in the team division.  They have one race remaining on their schedule, the Black Cat 5k in Virginia.

Stacey Peterson, last year's women's champ, defended her title by winning the women's division in 20:54.  Last year stiff competition from other women pushed her to a 19:30 winning time.  Stacey graduated from MRCTC last year and is currently in her first year at the College of Saint Scholastica.  Stacey has always thought of herself as more of a sprinter and plans on running the 200m and 400m on CSS's track team this spring.  Stacey ran the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and the Richfield Half Marathon earlier this year.  She plans on running one more race this fall - the 2k Swanny race this Wednesday at CSS.

The event had a strong showing from the MRCTC basketball team, whose coach required all players to run or walk the course.  Deo Tucker (Shooting Guard), Lerea Bounds (Forward), and Domo Jordon (Point Guard) were among the top basketball finishers.  The team is currently in the middle of preseason conditioning drills and is looking forward to the season opener in November.

Harry Shears finished the course in 21:02.  Harry and two co-workers comprised the Coates Plaza Hotel team, which took top honors in the team division.  Harry used to run quite a bit in high school as a member of Mesabi East's cross-country team.  Harry is getting back into shape this year and would like to work up to a 10k race, and someday, a marathon.  Harry is a first-year student at MRCTC.

Race directors JoJo Scott, Travis Vake, and Lindsay Grott had a large array of refreshments available for the runners after the race.  They also provided a vast amount of door prizes, ensuring that almost everyone went home with something.  All proceeds from the race benefitted MRCTC and the Quad Cities Food Shelf.

The date for the UMD Fall Homecoming 5k has been changed.  It is now scheduled to take place this Saturday, September 29th.  It was previously scheduled to take place on October 6th.

Race Listing: UMD Fall Homecoming 5k

Pictures from the American Birkebeiner trail races on Saturday, September 22nd.

Submitted by Eve Stein.