The Fall and Rise and Fall and Rise…

Of Tundra Traversing in Minnesota (1991-2011)

 

We left off this intriguing tale of Minnesota streak running the beginning of 1991, when there were 16 active daily runners in the state, or 3.66 streakers per million population, the highest rate ever documented by a state up to the present time.  Actually, I just learned of another streak runner in MN, John King, who ran daily while living in the Twin Cities from January 1977 until he moved to Chicago in 2001.  This means that there were 17 active in 1991, a rate of 3.89 per million.  This also means MN had the highest rate of streak runners an additional 26 months during the 1980s, two steps (or one runner) ahead of Maryland (MD).

 

 However, as you may suspect by the title of this article, that was soon to change.  During the year, Pat Foley, Jon Freeman*, Brad Kautz, and John Magnuson, all ended daily tundra traversing. While MN retired 4 streaks,  John Roemer III made it to 6 months of a new streak in February. So with 14 in the active category, MD became the highest streak rate state in January 1992 for one month, when Foley brought MN back to 14 active.  MD took over again in December with the end of Ross Hamernik’s streak, due to hernia surgery, and held it for 2 years, the state’s longest reign at the top.  With the end of Ed Hewitt’s* streak in November 1994, Minnesota regained the lead. 

 

The rest of the 1990s proved fairly uneventful, as the active MN streakers kept getting their runs in daily.  By 1998, their number was back up to 17, with the additions of Steve Moosebrugger, Scott Fodstad, and Thomas Welch, as well as a second streak by Jon Freeman*.  But then the millenium changed, the US Running Streak Association formed, Sherry Case ended her second streak, and, since Moser* and Freeman* never certified their streaks, they were dropped from the active list.  Until Sherry’s streak ended, MN had also had the highest rate of female streakers, though it wasn’t until Diane Shumway of Utah, reached 1 year daily running May 2001, that MN lost its lead among women.  MD dropped to 10 in 2000, as Hage*, Kroemer*, and McDermott* did not certify their streaks.  Thus,  MN remained on top entering the 21st century, surpassing their previous record time of 5 ˝ years in the lead, lasting 15 years, until 2010.

 

 Fortunately, Steve DeBoer ran the day he had kidney stone surgery to reach 30 years of daily runs in 2001, leading the 14-member MN contingent.  Steve Gathje made it to 30 years 15 months later, making MN the 3rd state with two 30-year streakers, after California and Washington, though Gary Jones moved from Washington to Montana before he actually reached 30 years.  FL became the 6th state with 10 active tundra traversers, 15 years after New York (2002), followed by TX (2005), and IN (2006).

 

Over the next 9 years, here are additional changes to MN and MD active lists:

 

                                MN                                                                          MD

2001    Moosbrugger to Russia; Gathje to Kansas;                   Margaret Sherrod start (11) – 1st MD Female

                King to Chicago (11)

2002/3  Dave Emmans start  (12)                                                            Eileen Dibler start & stop; Field stop (10)

2005    Gensler to AZ; Moosbrugger from IL (12)                  Ray stop; Lorden stop (8)

2006    Mike McAvoy from WI;  Pete Gilman start;

            Moosbrugger stop (hip) (13)

2007    McAvoy stop; Aby stop; Kautz restart;

     Al Gilman start (13 – 5 in Rochester)

2008    Gathje from KS; Al Gilman stop (13)                                          Bonarrigo stop (7)

2009    Carlson stop – heart surgery (12); Christian injury(11)  Susan Schultz start; Strumsky stop  (7)

 

Then, from November of 2009 to June 2010, there was an even more rapid spread of streakends throughout the state.  Though Jacob Yurek reached the one year mark on December 31st, Brad Kautz (H1N1 virus) and Scott Fodstad (surgery) had already broken their streaks, followed by Wendell DeBoer in February (compression fracture in back), Pat Foley in March (colon cancer surgery), Brian Short (knee surgery) and Steve Morrow (family emergency) in May.  This left MN with only 7 runners doing it daily (lowest number since 1983), having fallen to 6th place for the first time since the tracking of streak running rates began in 1971, just ahead of MD.

 

Montana (MT) had added a second streak runner, Erin Stevens, their first female, getting to one year on January 1, 2010, the same day that Wendell DeBoer’s 4th streak reached 1 year.  That brought MN’s rate to 2.07 and MT to 2.01.   When Pat Foley’s streak ended on March 14th, MT took the streak lead.  When Brian Short stopped his daily runs on May 27th, MN’s rate had dropped to 1.32, below the rates of NE (1.64), VA (1.62) IN (1.54), MA (1.52), and MO (1.50)

 

But Minnesotans are a hardy bunch, and the state made an impressive resurgence.  Roger Carlson passed 12 months of a new streak on June 5th at age 65.  So after 8 days in 7th place, MN climbed to 5th (1.51).    Jeff Judd (July 1st) put MN back in 2nd 25 days later.  Paul Christian reached 365 days for his second streak later in July, and Paul Case (November) made it to the year mark of his only certified streak, to give MN the lead back at 2.07.  Brad Kautz reached 363 days later in November but had to stop after his daughter was hit by a car.  Steve Morrow’s second streak was certified in May 2011.  Pat Foley (4th streak) was added in October, bringing the MN contingent back up to 13, a few months after  Steve DeBoer celebrated his 40 years of daily runs, longest by a runner east of the Rockies.

 

MT held on to second place, the only other state with a rate higher than 2 per million.  Missouri became the 12th state to have 10 active streak runners (MI, MA, and VA reached 10 earlier that year) in October 2010, moving them into 4th place, as Dave DeBoer, reached the 1 year mark of his 2nd streak, 32 years after his first one ended in Minnesota.  This is believed to be a record time between one year running streaks.

MD, after having been in the top 5 since July 1977, slid to #9 in January, 2010, with a rate of 1.2 streak runners per million population.  A few months later John Watts moved to ID, giving that state 2 streakers and a rate of 1.27, so MD went down another notch.  By fall 2011, MD’s rate ranked 15th.

 

MN now has had at least 31 residents who have traversed at least 1 mile daily for a minimum of 365 days since 1971.  This includes the most from a state who have run 100,000 miles, tying CA (6).  The first 20 were listed in Part One of this article in the Fall 2011 issue of the Streak Registry. 

 

21. John King                          Jan 1977- 2001 then to Chicago and NJ

22. Steve Moosebrugger          Dec 94-Jun 2001; Jul 2005-Dec 2006  (Moscow, Russia & IL between)

23. Scott Fodstad                     Apr 95-Dec 2009                                    

24. Thomas Welch   Jan 98-                                    

25. Dave Emmans   Jun 2002-

26. Pete Gilman                       Nov 2005 –                            

27. Mike McAvoy   Jan 2006-Jan 2007 (May 81-Dec 2005 WI)            

28. Al Gilman **                     Sep 2006- Mar 2008

29. Jacob Yurek                       Dec 2008-                               

30. Jeff Judd                            Jul 2009-                                

31. Paul Case ***    Nov 2009 -

 

A few of the state’s noteworthy achievements include:

 

4th State to Have a streak runner (SR) of 1 year or longer (Bruce Mortenson January 1971)

2nd  State to Have a female SR of 1 year or longer (Julie Maxwell July 1979) & longest female streak ever

State with highest rate of SRs ever  (3.89 per million population  1991)

Most Time with highest rate of SRs ( 31 ľ  years)

Most Time with highest rate of female SRs – 22 years+

Highest rate of SRs with 100,000 miles lifetime – 1.13 per million (6)

First 50, 60 and 85 year old SR (Wendell DeBoer – 1978, 1984, and 2010)

First related SRs (Steve and Dave DeBoer – 1973)

First 3 related SRs (Steve, Dave and Wendell DeBoer – 1978)

First 3 active SRs in same city (Steve & Dave DeBoer; John Magnuson – 1977)

First 4 active SRs in same city – St. Paul (Steve, Dave, John & Wendell – 1978)

Second 4 active SRs in same city – Rochester  (Paul, Steve, Brad & Ross – 1989)

First 5 active SRs in same city – Rochester (Paul, Steve, Brad, Pete & Al – 2007)

 

State with Highest Rate of Active Daily Runners (1991-2011)

Jan 91 – Dec 91                       MN

Jan 92                                      MD

Feb 92 – Nov 92                      MN

Dec 92 – Nov 94                     MD

Dec 94 – 3/13/2010 MN

3/14/2010 – 11/3/2010            MT

11/4/2010 -                              MN         

 

Top States                                Dec 1991                 Dec 1996                 Dec 2001                 Dec 2006                                Dec 2011

 

(# states with             37                            39                            36+                          37+                          45 & DC+

Streak runners)

 

(Streakers per            MN   3.20              MN  3.45                 MN  2.84                 MN  2.73                 MN  2.45

Million)                     MD   2.93              MD  2.58                 WY  2.02                 MD  1.44                 MT   2.01

                                  WY   2.20              WY  2.11                 MD  1.51                 CT   1.43                 VA   1.87

                                  ND   1.57                               ND  1.56                  CT   1.47                 IN    1.43                 MO  1.83

                                  CT    1.52              CT   1.49                 DE   1.27                 DE   1.19                 IN    1.69

                                  DE    1.50              DE   1.38                 NE   1.17                 NE   1.13                 MA  1.68

                                                                                                                                                                VT   1.59

                                                                                                                                                                WI   1.58

 

* streak never certified            ** father of Pete Gilman    *** brother of Sherry Case     + all certified

 

Postscript: Ken Young contacted me that he didn’t become a California resident until 1994, so CA did not become the first state with ten active streak runners until April 1980 (vs. Jan 1980 reported in last issue of the Streak Registry).   Also, through Facebook, another pre-1980  female streaker has been found.  Eileen Rountree began her first daily streak October 1, 1977, which predates Julie Maxwell’s streak by 9 months.

 

Steve DeBoer ran his 47th marathon (50th race of 20 miles or longer) at the Twin Cities Marathon October 2, 2011, 40 years after completing his first marathon during high school cross country, October 10, 1971 at City of Lakes Marathon (precursor to Twin Cities). He drank no fluids that first marathon, running the second half 40 minutes slower than the first half, with a time of 3:29:40.  He did drink fluid before and during his 47th marathon, running the second half only 2 minutes slower than the first half, with a time of 3:29:40. However, he had to stop at 6 miles for over 1 minute this time, due to overhydration, so his running time was faster this year. He passed 92 runners the last 2.2 miles, to reach his goal to be in the top 1000 ( 998th of 8533 finishers).  His finish in 1971 – 27th of 51!