Gene Glader’s family was happy to pose with the guest of honor (front) at the first annual Gene Glader Classic indoor track meet at Bethel College. (L-R) Glader’s children Sonja, Tim, and Tom, wife Laurene and son-in-law Scott Langie.
On Saturday, November 8, 2013, Gene and Laurene Glader attended the first annual Gene Glader Classic indoor track meet at Bethel College.
“It was quite an honor,” said Glader.
A couple of Gene’s former runners arranged for the meet to be named after their former coach. Teams taking part in the inaugural meet were St. John’s, Macalester, Augsburg, Northwestern of St. Paul and Northwestern of Iowa and a few independent teams.
Gene was the first paid track coach at Bethel, which is located in Arden Hills, a suburb of St. Paul. He began coaching as an unpaid University of Minnesota graduate assistant in 1959. Upon graduating Gene taught high school for two years and then, in 1961, he began a 20-year teaching and coaching career at Bethel.
“My first two years at Bethel I coached football and track and helped two really good runners get into some cross country meets. After two years of that I quit coaching football and just coached the cross country team,” Glader said.
“It was an interesting time to coach. It was the beginning of the running boom in America. There was a lot of long distance running events in the Twin Cities. In the beginning cross country runners would race 3 miles. Then the events went to 4 miles, then 5 miles and now they race 6 miles. I was a hurdler in track, so even running 3 miles seemed like a long way to run to me,” said Glader.
Bethel has always had good track and cross coun-try programs, and Gene still lends some assistance, renting his vacation home at a discount to the men’s cross country team when they come for a one-week training session to kickoff their fall collegiate season. He also helps the women’s team find housing for their weekly pre-season training.
Gene and his wife Laurene moved to Cook County in 1981 and purchased Cascade Lodge and Restaurant and the Blue Water Café. The Gladers sold both properties some time ago and are now retired and live in Grand Marais. Gene has been active in the Cook County Tennis Association and has written a book about the history of Grand Marais.
“I guess I was surprised and I’m honored that they would name a track meet after me,” said Gene.
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