Above: The Ron Daws award is made of hand–blown blue glass. Left: Brian Larsen gets a hug from previous Ron Daws award recipient Dorothy Spencer. Spencer has also helped in all 40 Grandma’s Marathons.
Brian Larsen, long-time reporter here at the Cook County News-Herald, received some well-deserved recognition at this year’s Grandma’s Marathon. 2016 marks the 40th anniversary of the event, and Brian, as one of the marathon’s founders, has been involved since day one. From stuffing race packets and painting the finish lines to working as the assistant race director, he has filled just about every role imaginable. This year, much of his time was spent in the office fielding calls and delivering items to staff members.
In appreciation for everything he has contributed to make the event a success, Brian was chosen by the staff and board of directors for Grandma’s Marathon to receive the Ron Daws Ambassador Award.
Ron Daws, the athlete for whom the award is named, was a key player in the development of road racing in Minnesota and a great ambassador to the Grandma’s Marathon and City of Duluth.
“The Ron Daws Ambassador Award is presented to an individual who has been a leader in the development and growth of long distance running and who has shared a commitment to be an ambassador of Grandma’s Marathon and the City of Duluth,” explained Kate Kucinski, the public relations director for Grandma’s Marathon.
Brian certainly meets the criteria having frequently been described as someone who is constantly running all over the place to take care of the multitude of jobs that crop up as the event progresses.
“This year I carried a box containing 1,500 drinking cups more than a half mile to an aid station for the Fitger’s 5k because they had forgotten them and the race had already started,” Brian explained. Once the cups were delivered, he ran back to the office to continue answering a steadily ringing battery of phones.
“Brian is one of our best ambassadors and we don’t know what we would have done without him in the office this weekend,” Kucinski affirmed.
When asked what keeps bringing him back to the race year after year, Brian said, “It’s fun to catch up with old friends, that are now truly old, and watching the race evolve. There was no way to predict when the race started that it would still be going and growing all of these years later, but it’s great to see.”
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