September Run for Kicks Success

It was a big month for the Gusties off the field, as school kicked off and classes began at full swing.  However, we managed to have a lot of fun in our free time hosting our 2nd Annual Run for Kicks 5k Race. This 5k has been very successful for us and the participation has doubled from year-to-year with this year having close to 60 runners!

We are also fortunate to have many generous sponsors for this event as well. We greatly appreciate their contribution to our program this year! A list of our sponsors can be found at the bottom of this blog post. 

The race began at 10:00am on Sunday, September 18th in the Gustavus Arboretum.  It was the perfect fall morning to run a 5k, as the sun was shining in and out of the trees throughout the course.  With all our teammates scattered along the trail cheering the participants on, it created a fun and positive atmosphere for all.

Gustie Supporters take their marks at 10am

 We had many fellow Gusties come out to run and the support of our family members as well.  Each participant put up some impressive times, as the Gustavus Cross Country Coach, Brenden Huber, came in first place.  Our second place finisher was a student, Ryan Maroney, a big fan of the Gustavus Women's Soccer team.  Ryan was not far behind Coach Huber in the race because he ran cross country in high school -running came natural to him.  Coach Huber however, has had some years of preparation for this race, and the smile below shows his hard work had paid off.

Cross Country Coach, Brenden Huber winning the race.

Not only were students, faculty and family running the 5k, but our assistant coach, BENTON FRAYNE ran too!  The players absolutely loved how dedicated Benton was to support the team for the 5k.  He shared with us his thoughts about the race and experience.

"I started out running with Coach Huber, which was a bad idea (he's too fast).  Honestly, the support of the team was great and got me through it.  I felt good afterwards and the feeling of achievement was great.  To complete anything physically challenging is always rewarding."

I'm sure Benton also loved the granola bar, banana, and Gatorade reward after the race as well.

Benton was so enthusiastic about the day, "the best part of the experience was seeing the team come together and put on such a great event.  Seeing all of the families and Gustie community coming out to support the team was great!"

One of our players, Junior, Sophie Leininger, has been the brains behind this entire event.  We sat down with her to ask about the idea, and she shared "my family and I help at the 5k my aunt hosts on Thanksgiving morning in Minneapolis.  Running is a huge part of my Aunt and Uncle's lives, and so they suggested we could raise funds for our team if we hosted our own 5k.  And so, with their help, my mom (Lisa Leininger) and aunt (Barb Leininger) put it together!" 

The team is thankful to have such an innovative and supportive family help us make this event possible.  The Leininger family has done so much to help build this program.  Each year, Sophie looks forward to this event with the team, "it's very cool to see all the student support grow.  I am excited to see us hopefully reach more St. Peter residents next year, and be able to put on another smooth and fun event for everyone!"

We are incredibly pleased with how awesome of a day this event was, and cannot wait to host again next year!

Below are a couple more photos from the day.

Race Check-In

 

 

Gustavus Women's Soccer Team

 

 A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS: 

Running Ventures, Minneapolis, MN
Center for Muscle and Joint Therapy, Superior, WI
World Block, Duluth, MN
Canyon Lake Veterinary Hospital, Rapid City, SD
Angeno's Pizza, Brooklyn Park, MN
The Tax Book, Minnetonka, MN
Pulse, St. Peter, MN
Chris Nelson, SD
David and Sandra Wilbur, MN
Skip and Tammy Sturtz, MN
Gregg and Lisa Leininger, MN