Madi Joynes gives her dad, Jim, a hug after he completed the Lutsen 99er. A bit muddy but none the worse for the wear, Jim finished second in his age class in the prestigious mountain bike race.
Jim and Shanie Joynes are big mountain bikers. And runners. They also like to ski and hike. You get the picture. They are into the outdoors and fitness.
This year Jim, age 52, placed 30th in the Lutsen 99er, finishing in 6 hours 34 minutes 10 seconds to place second in his age group. Shanie, who often wins her age group, crashed and had to pull out at 70 miles. Not to worry, Shanie, an RN at St. Luke’s in Duluth, will be back, probably better than ever.
Jim is a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch, and he owns Joynes Department/ Ben Franklin store, a business started by his grandfather, the late Howard Joynes. Jim grew up in Grand Marais, graduated from Cook County I.S.D. 166 and spent many hours working in the family business.
About six months ago, said Jim, he and Shanie came up with an idea to give back to the 99er race, while challenging area youth to get involved.
“We approached one of our vendors, Darn Tough of Vermont, and asked if they would be interested in being a partner,” said Jim. “They eagerly agreed, and we created the Joynes Department Store and Ben Franklin Youth Challenge… powered by Darn Tough. Through the cooperative effort of Joynes and Darn Tough, we committed to paying the entry fee for 100 area youth riders into the 2018 99er races, 19 miles, 39 miles, 69 miles, or 99-mile distances. To fund our effort, at this weekend’s 99er event, we set up a tent, sold Darn Tough Socks, with 100 percent of the sales going to the Youth Challenge. In turn, during Saturday’s award ceremony, Shanie and I presented a check to the Lutsen 99er for $5,000. That money will be used to pay for the 100 youth entries (grades 7 – 12).
Kids covered in the entry fees will come from the entire North Shore, from Thunder Bay to Duluth.
“We will be working with bike clubs, high school teams, and bike shops between Duluth and Thunder Bay to get kids involved. Our mission is to provide a physical challenge while eliminating a financial hurdle,” Jim said.
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