News
News
The News page is the place to look for race recaps, pictures, and running-related annoncements. If you have an article or pictures you would like to include on the News page, e-mail it to info@northlandrunner.com.
The News page is the place to look for race recaps, pictures, and running-related annoncements. If you have an article or pictures you would like to include on the News page, e-mail it to info@northlandrunner.com.
June 26, 2007: Race Recap - Blackwater Barge Festival 5k
The Blackwater Barge Festival 5k took place Saturday morning in Cohasset, Minnesota. Besides the run, the third annual event also featured a canoe race, parade, and barbeque. The 5k started and ended at Portage Park. The majority of the race was run on Portage Park's dirt cross-country ski trails.
Kimberly Rostvald won the women's race in 22:25. Kimberly liked the soft dirt race course and appreciated the lack of hills. A senior at Grand Rapids High School, Kimberly participates in both cross-country and track. After graduating next May, she hopes to take part in both sports in a Minnesota college yet to be determined. Kimberly ran the William A. Irvin 5k a week ago and is looking forward to the Tall Timber Days 10k later this summer.
Eric Dokken and Jason Bond ran neck-and-neck for the majority of the race. Eric pulled ahead to capture the men's title 19:22 with Jason only 9 seconds behind. Both runners were glad to have someone to help keep the pace in the eighty-degree heat. Eric is living in Cohasset this summer before leaving for London in the fall to pursue a PhD at the London School of Theology. He hopes to run the London Marathon next spring. Jason, a millwright, is keeping up with the summer racing circuit despite a busy work schedule. Running about forty miles a week now, Jason is planning to build mileage and compete in the Whistlestop Marathon this fall.
Kimberly Rostvald won the women's race in 22:25. Kimberly liked the soft dirt race course and appreciated the lack of hills. A senior at Grand Rapids High School, Kimberly participates in both cross-country and track. After graduating next May, she hopes to take part in both sports in a Minnesota college yet to be determined. Kimberly ran the William A. Irvin 5k a week ago and is looking forward to the Tall Timber Days 10k later this summer.
Eric Dokken and Jason Bond ran neck-and-neck for the majority of the race. Eric pulled ahead to capture the men's title 19:22 with Jason only 9 seconds behind. Both runners were glad to have someone to help keep the pace in the eighty-degree heat. Eric is living in Cohasset this summer before leaving for London in the fall to pursue a PhD at the London School of Theology. He hopes to run the London Marathon next spring. Jason, a millwright, is keeping up with the summer racing circuit despite a busy work schedule. Running about forty miles a week now, Jason is planning to build mileage and compete in the Whistlestop Marathon this fall.
June 23, 2007: Race Recap - Midnight Sun Midnight Run
The Midnight Sun Midnight Run took place Friday night at midnight on Duluth's Lakewalk. The Midnight Sun Adventure Company sponsored the second annual event as part of their Summer Solstice Festival. Mike Benchina won the men's race in 15:55, and Jennifer Houck defended her women's title with a time of 17:45.
Mike Benchina, of Chisolm, said he felt good at the end of the race. When he was a minute from the finish, the race director announced he had a chance to break sixteen minutes. With the crowd cheering him on, Mike kicked it in, breaking that sixteen minute mark and setting a new personal record. After an ample nine hours of rest he plans on competing in the Knife River Solstice 5k Saturday morning. This fall Mike would like to compete in the Dick Beardsley Half Marathon and the Walker North Country Marathon.
Jason Kask, of Duluth, finished third in 16:55. Jason felt great the second half of the race and thought the cool weather conditions were ideal for racing. A Saint Scholastica student, Jason is on track to graduate in 2009 with an exercise physiology degree. You may recognize Jason's name from a variety of sporting events in the Duluth area. A well-rounded athlete, Jason won the Brewhouse Triathlon short course in 2006.
Kristi Prevost, of Cloquet, ran the race for the first time. Kristi had a good experience and enjoyed the festive atmosphere. A veteran runner, Kristi stayed focused the entire race, at one point jostling for position with an errant popcorn cart driver. Undaunted by the smell of caramel corn and the Leif Erickson Park hills, Kristi finished the course in 32:26. Kristi ran the Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon last weekend and will run the Twin Cities Marathon this fall, but the highlight of her season is always the Esko 5k in August.
UPDATE:
Race results are available at Northland Runner and Steve's Timing.
The race director's summary is available at Midnight Sun.
Mike Benchina, of Chisolm, said he felt good at the end of the race. When he was a minute from the finish, the race director announced he had a chance to break sixteen minutes. With the crowd cheering him on, Mike kicked it in, breaking that sixteen minute mark and setting a new personal record. After an ample nine hours of rest he plans on competing in the Knife River Solstice 5k Saturday morning. This fall Mike would like to compete in the Dick Beardsley Half Marathon and the Walker North Country Marathon.
Jason Kask, of Duluth, finished third in 16:55. Jason felt great the second half of the race and thought the cool weather conditions were ideal for racing. A Saint Scholastica student, Jason is on track to graduate in 2009 with an exercise physiology degree. You may recognize Jason's name from a variety of sporting events in the Duluth area. A well-rounded athlete, Jason won the Brewhouse Triathlon short course in 2006.
Kristi Prevost, of Cloquet, ran the race for the first time. Kristi had a good experience and enjoyed the festive atmosphere. A veteran runner, Kristi stayed focused the entire race, at one point jostling for position with an errant popcorn cart driver. Undaunted by the smell of caramel corn and the Leif Erickson Park hills, Kristi finished the course in 32:26. Kristi ran the Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon last weekend and will run the Twin Cities Marathon this fall, but the highlight of her season is always the Esko 5k in August.
UPDATE:
Race results are available at Northland Runner and Steve's Timing.
The race director's summary is available at Midnight Sun.
June 15, 2007: Server Maintenance
Our website company has informed us that they need to do a "server realignment" tonight. We don't know what that means either, but apparently they will be rebooting our server sometime between 10pm and 6am. The last time something like this happened, things didn't go too well. To ensure a smoother reboot this time, we will be working on the server today and making sure everything is situated on our end. Consequently, the Northland Runner website might run a little slow and may go down entirely for a minute or two sporadically throughout the day. Everything should be back to normal tomorrow morning. Thank you for your patience.
June 3, 2007: Race Recap - The Carlyle Sherstad
The Carlyle Sherstad 5k took place Saturday, June 2nd, in Grantsburg, Wisconsin. The weather was cloudy but warm, with the sun coming out at the end of the race. Jason Jorczak won the men's race in 16:52 and Kelly Pearson won the women's race in 20:00.
The race is named after Carlyle Sherstad, a great promoter of running in the Grantsburg area in the 1970s and 80s. Carlyle started the Syttende Mai race in 1973 and directed it until he suffered a stroke in 1988. The Syttende Mai was a 16.2 mile endurance event that drew hundreds of runners from all over the Midwest. Darlene Sherstad, Carlyle's widow, says that Carlyle liked to refer to the race as "the largest race in a small town". Diagnosed with heart problems and high cholesterol, Carlyle's doctor urged him to exercise more. He did with enthusiasm, completing twenty-nine marathons before he passed away in 1998. Carlyle shared his energy and love for running with many people at a time when long-distance running was not yet a popular thing to do. The race is named after Carlyle in recognition of his enormous contribution to area running and the Grantsburg community as a whole.
Jason Jorczak, the men's winner, finished well ahead of the pack. No stranger to running, Jason attended Mississippi State in the early 90s, running a 4:02 mile while participating on the track team. Jason's 5k PR is 14:45, and while he may never get that low again, he would like to try breaking 16:00 at some point. The race Jason is most looking forward to this year is the Muskie Fest 5k in Hayward, Wisconsin.
Kelly Pearson, the women's winner, participated in the race as part of her training for Grandma's Marathon. Kelly has a goal for Grandma's, but it will remain unpublished and unjinxed. Kelly attended Elmhurst College in Illinois, specializing in the 800 meters in track. Kelly also plans on running the Siren Fourth of July race and one of the Whistlestop races in the fall.
The Carlyle Sherstad race is organized by the Burnett Medical Center, and every year the proceeds are donated to a local organization. This year the recipient is Faith's Lodge, a sanctuary for families who have a seriously ill child. It is also a place for families to reflect after losing a child. The lodge will open near Webster, Wisconsin later this year. For more information, visit their website at www.faithslodge.org.
We would like to give special thanks to Darlene Sherstad for sharing her memories of Carlyle and the Syttende Mai race.
The race is named after Carlyle Sherstad, a great promoter of running in the Grantsburg area in the 1970s and 80s. Carlyle started the Syttende Mai race in 1973 and directed it until he suffered a stroke in 1988. The Syttende Mai was a 16.2 mile endurance event that drew hundreds of runners from all over the Midwest. Darlene Sherstad, Carlyle's widow, says that Carlyle liked to refer to the race as "the largest race in a small town". Diagnosed with heart problems and high cholesterol, Carlyle's doctor urged him to exercise more. He did with enthusiasm, completing twenty-nine marathons before he passed away in 1998. Carlyle shared his energy and love for running with many people at a time when long-distance running was not yet a popular thing to do. The race is named after Carlyle in recognition of his enormous contribution to area running and the Grantsburg community as a whole.
Jason Jorczak, the men's winner, finished well ahead of the pack. No stranger to running, Jason attended Mississippi State in the early 90s, running a 4:02 mile while participating on the track team. Jason's 5k PR is 14:45, and while he may never get that low again, he would like to try breaking 16:00 at some point. The race Jason is most looking forward to this year is the Muskie Fest 5k in Hayward, Wisconsin.
Kelly Pearson, the women's winner, participated in the race as part of her training for Grandma's Marathon. Kelly has a goal for Grandma's, but it will remain unpublished and unjinxed. Kelly attended Elmhurst College in Illinois, specializing in the 800 meters in track. Kelly also plans on running the Siren Fourth of July race and one of the Whistlestop races in the fall.
The Carlyle Sherstad race is organized by the Burnett Medical Center, and every year the proceeds are donated to a local organization. This year the recipient is Faith's Lodge, a sanctuary for families who have a seriously ill child. It is also a place for families to reflect after losing a child. The lodge will open near Webster, Wisconsin later this year. For more information, visit their website at www.faithslodge.org.
We would like to give special thanks to Darlene Sherstad for sharing her memories of Carlyle and the Syttende Mai race.
June 1, 2007: Volunteers Needed
Here is a press release from the Minnesota Voyageur Trail Ultra:
Volunteers Needed for the Minnesota Voyageur Trail Ultra 50 Mile Endurance Run
July 28th, 2007
Volunteers are needed for the Voyageur Ultra. If you can help for an hour or all day it will help make this event a continued success. We need help in the following areas:
For more information contact Rollie Everson at 218-525-4112 or e-mail trailrun@frontiernet.net
Volunteers Needed for the Minnesota Voyageur Trail Ultra 50 Mile Endurance Run
July 28th, 2007
Volunteers are needed for the Voyageur Ultra. If you can help for an hour or all day it will help make this event a continued success. We need help in the following areas:
- Aid station workers
- Traffic control
- Banquet set up and clean up
- Trail sweepers
- Course Marshal and medical support
- Finish line timing
- Pictures
For more information contact Rollie Everson at 218-525-4112 or e-mail trailrun@frontiernet.net