PERHAM – Behind his sunglasses, tears came to Kim
Anderson’s eyes. This had been a special morning as dozens of high school
cross-country teams and hundreds of runners had competed in honor of the
daughters of Kim and his wife Laura.
Arvig
Park in Perham was the site on Saturday of the fourth Brave Like Gabe
Invitational, an event like no other. Competition was certainly part of it, but
there was camaraderie, there was support, there was fundraising, there was
remembrance, there was love, so much love.
Gabriele (Anderson) Grunewald, a 2004 Perham graduate,
was a high school state track champion at 800 meters. She became an
All-American runner at the University of Minnesota who went on to become a
national champion as a professional runner. She continued her running career
after being diagnosed with cancer in 2009 and was 32 when she died in June 2019.
Her sister, Abby Anderson, was 29 when she was killed in 2021. She was walking
in St. Paul when a vehicle driven by a drunk driver left the road and struck
her.
“There’s a flood
of emotions and it's gone by so quick, but it's absolutely wonderful to see how
this has grown and the participation and everybody involved,” Kim said. “It’s just
a wonderful, wonderful thing. We love it and we support it. We can't feel any
better or more grateful.”
Kim wore a
button with Abby’s photo, a memento from her high school running career.
The first Brave Like Gabe Invitational was
held a few months after Gabe died. This year, nearly $2,500 in proceeds from concessions,
t-shirt sales and donations from competing teams was given to the Brave Like
Gabe Foundation. In the four years that the event has been held, approximately
$10,000 has been donated to the foundation.
Another Brave Like Gabe fundraising event will be held Sept. 9, a 5K
open to anyone anywhere. An in-person run will be held that morning at Como
Regional Park in St. Paul, with others encouraged to run on their own. (Details
here: https://runsignup.com/Race/MN/SaintPaul/BraveLikeGabe5K)
“This year we just had a lot of teams say, ‘We really
want to be part of this event,’ ” said Jeff Morris, head coach of the Perham
girls and boys cross-country teams and meet organizer.
“After Gabe passed away, I wanted to start a meet in
her memory, having coached her in Perham ad having a strong relationship with
her, and we stayed close to the family as she went through her cancer bouts.”
Signs in the park showed a silhouette of Gabe, arms
outstretched. T-shirts reading Brave Like Gabe were worn by runners, coaches
and fans. On the course, about 50 yards away from the start line on a slight
grassy rise, “Brave Like Gabe” had been painted in giant letters. Every runner crossed
that threshold as they began their race.
Gabe
and Abby and their family were on everyone’s mind.
“I think it’s pretty cool for (Perham runners) to know
that somebody like Gabe had such an impact, even globally, and not just in
running, for something much greater than running and sports,” Morris said. “For
our kids to see that, they can relate. She wore the same uniform, she ran the
same trails.
“She didn’t let that small-town feel limit her dreams
and her reach. I think it’s important for the kids to know that.”
Perham senior runner Mia Lung said Gabe’s impact remains
strong in her hometown.
“I
think it gives us a lot of purpose on the team, to be running for something so
big and knowing how hard she fought every single time. I always know whenever
we go out on a run we all have that motivation of, ‘If she can do it, we can be
brave like she was and pursue our own struggles.’ ”
Saturday’s events included races for elementary kids, junior high
runners, as well as combined junior varsity/varsity races for high school
teams.
Perham won the girls and boys team titles. The Yellowjackets boys
had a team score of 72, followed by Hopkins (96) and Moorhead (97). On the
girls side, Perham’s 40 points led the field, followed by Hopkins (70) and
Moorhead (91).
Hopkins junior Sydney Drevlow was the girls individual winner in
17 minutes, 35.8 seconds. Runner-up Mia Hoffman of Bemidji finished in 17:52.0.
Bjorn Anderson of Perham was the boys champion with a narrow win over Eli Hall
of Pequot Lakes. The winning time was 5:19.9.
The Hopkins runners left at 5:30 a.m. for the three-hour drive trip
to Perham, showing the devotion that was evident everywhere among the 24 teams.
After the racing was complete and before the awards ceremony, teams
were invited to take part in a cool-down Mile Memory Run in honor of Gabe and
Abby.
Morris introduced Kim and Laura Anderson during the awards ceremony,
and Kim spoke to the large crowd.
“I see a few parents from way back
in the day,” he said with a smile. “It's unbelievable. It's awesome. I don't
know where the time goes but we really do appreciate everybody's participation.
… It’s so wonderful to see everybody here.”
--To learn more about the Brave Like Gabe Foundation and donate:
click here: https://www.bravelikegabe.org/
--MSHSL senior content creator John Millea has been the leading
voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter
@MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get
podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org
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