When asked who their running heroes are, most runners would probably start to name off the Olympians of yesteryear; Billy Mills, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit. Some would even name a few of today's elites, but when I think of my running heroes I think of some of the men and women who taught me and inspired me and accepted me as a new runner.
In the past month I have been fortunate enough to see and chat with some of them and I feel so happy and lucky to have done so. Fred and Jeanne McCurnin, Curt Krieger, and Dave Nauman were four people that I admired and learned a lot from as I began my running life.
Not only are all four of them excellent runners in their own right, but they are wonderful people and were terrific role models to me and, indeed, good friends.
Now I see myself becoming a running role model to others in the Duluth community and I often think of these four running heroes of mine and hope that I can pass on my love and respect for the sport of running as they did to me.
