Fundraiser for MN Trail Running leaders

If you're in Minnesota this weekend, please consider attending the Larry & Colleen Pederson Benefit Run on Saturday (November 27, 2010). Runners will gather at Afton State Park for a run, potluck and silent auction. The event is open to all and will begin at 7:00 a.m. at the park’s visitor center.

The following is directly from the event website:

"The Pederson Benefit Run was created to support our friends Colleen & Larry Pederson, who sustained a tremendous amount of damage to their home during the recent flood in Zumbro Falls, Minnesota. After the flood, many people who were able to do so, volunteered to help Colleen & Larry with cleaning up the mess & the damage left behind after the water receded. The work has seemed endless, with many hours spent cleaning, tearing down walls, ceilings, pulling out the floor and the fireplace, before rebuilding could begin. Still many, especially those who were not able to be there in person, have asked what more can we do? As trail runners we thought let’s do what we do best…Run! And the idea for the benefit run was born.

"Over the years Larry and Colleen have become familiar faces in the Trail Running Community, dedicating countless hours of their time so that runners may enjoy the sport they love so much. Each year some of the fun that we get to experience on the trails because of them are The Fall Superior Races, Zumbro 100 & In Yan Teopa. Larry also founded the Upper Midwest Trail Runners Association, visit the website for further information about UMTR and the races they direct."

Gabriele Anderson joins WomenTalkSports (plus Twitter & Facebook)

Last week the WomenTalkSports blog network added Gabriele Anderson to their Professional Athlete Directory. For those of you who don't know, Anderson runs for the elite, post-collegiate Team USA Minnesota. She was also a standout during her tenure as a University of Minnesota Golden Gopher distance runner.

Anderson had a busy week last week, as she also set up this Facebook page and joined Twitter with the very apt username: GabeRunsHappy. I've never met Anderson, but from everything I've ever heard and/or read about her, "GabeRunsHappy" seems to describe her perfectly.

She's an outstanding athlete, as evidenced by a second-place finish in the 1,500m at last spring's NCAA outdoor track meet and a 7th-place finish in the same event at the USA Outdoor Championships meet. She also is a two-time cancer survivor. You can read (and hear) about her accomplishments through the following links.

–Gabe's U of M bio

–Anderson's Team USA MN bio

–May 27, 2010 Minneapolis Star Tribune article about her racing highlights [and cancer battle] to date

–June 23, 2010 article on Runner's World Racing News page

–September 27, 2010 article on the Universal Sports website.

–Sunday, October 31, 2010, Anderson was featured on the Women Talk Sports Weekly Radio Show.

I'm looking forward to reading more and more about Gabe and her running endeavors in the coming years. [photos courtesy of the University of Minnesota.]


About WomenTalkSports: "With the goal of promoting and empowering female athleticism, WomenTalkSports.com is an online network that connects the best blogs relating to women's sports. The site aims to raise the level of awareness of women in sport by providing comprehensive sport coverage, spotlighting outstanding achievements, and working with sporting associations on advocacy issues and empowering programs."