Remembering John

Last night, we drove to Wisconsin to celebrate.  We were celebrating the short, but beautiful life of my brother-in-law, John, who passed away on April 6, 2011 at the age of 45 as a result of complications of Type 1 Diabetes.  Yesterday, my sister hosted a memorial walk/run to raise money for Type 1 Diabetes research.  It was a hot, but beautiful event.

Two of my kids are not present because they ran, instead of walking, and placed in their age category!

Here are the details of the race:

The family and friends of John Brunstad invite you to join them for the John Brunstad Memorial run  on Saturday, July 14th at 6:00 p.m.  along the beautiful Red Cedar State Trail in Menomonie, WI.   John was an avid runner whose runs often included part of the Red Cedar Trail.  He took up running in his twenties because he knew it would benefit him in many ways.  One of the most important was to better manage his Type 1 Diabetes.   John was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in 1980 at the age of 14.  He chose to control the disease and not let the it control him.  He took good care of himself managing his T1D very well for over 30 years.  This care included testing his blood glucose multiple times a day, using an insulin pump, eating well and exercising regularly.  However, it was this disease that caused his life here with us to be too short.  John passed away in his sleep on April 6, 2011 due to severe hypoglycemia.  Hypoglycemia is the sudden drop of glucose in a person’s blood because too much insulin is present in the body.  When glucose is too low for too long the brain cannot function.

John was a wonderful, loving husband to Beth and father to Rachel, Becca, Nick, Abbie and Phil, son to Loyd & Fern and brother to Barb, Debi, Sandi, Tammy, Jim & Laura.   He had a great sense of humor, loved running, gardening and spending time with family and friends.  He is dearly loved and deeply missed by many.  It is our hope this will be an annual event that will benefit worthy causes.  Proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Stepping Stones of Dunn County and Friends of the Red Cedar Trail.   The John Brunstad Memorial Run fund has been established at the Community Foundation of Dunn County and is owned and managed by the Comunity Foundation of Dunn County.  All gifts to the fund will be distributed from the John Brunstad Memorial Run Fund in accordance with policies of the Community Foundation of Dunn County.

The Races

Starting at the head of the Red Cedar State Trail, you’ll enjoy  the flat, fast  crushed rock coarse.  The  rail parallels the Red Cedar River.  Participants enjoy some of the beautiful features of the trail including limestone rock formations, wildlife (possibly a bald eagle)  and lush woodlands. 

10K—This out and back race will take participants south to Irvington where they will go past the 3 mile marker, turn around and return. Enjoy the lush woods and interesting geological features.

2 Mile Walk/Run—This out and back walk/run will take you to the 1 Mile marker on the beautiful Red Cedar State trail.  Enjoy the views of  Gilbert Creek and the Red Cedar River as you enjoy this section of the trail.

Perhaps next year I will have the where-with-all to post this before the event in case you would like to attend.  It was a beautiful event.