After working as head of the Edmond Public Schools system since June 2021, Superintendent Angela Grunewald announced this afternoon she will retire at the end of the current school year
“Serving as your superintendent has been the highlight of my career
I continue to have so many dreams for this district to help us better serve the students,” Grunewald said in Friday’s press release
“I have no doubt many of those dreams will come to fruition
In the same statement, Grunewald said the Edmond Public Schools Board of Education — which has its first regular meeting of the new calendar year scheduled for 6 p.m
Monday — will begin searching for the next EPS superintendent immediately
“I’m confident that a leader equally or even more passionate about education and Edmond schools will be found,” Grunewald said
EPS Board of Education President Marcus Jones confirmed that Monday’s agenda would include an item to start the search process
the board will have chosen a candidate before school concludes in May
“I think she has a legacy at Edmond Public Schools to be proud of,” Jones said
“I was glad to come onto the board during her tenure and think she’s done things that will stick with Edmond Public Schools for a long time.”
Most recently, Grunewald became one of several superintendents statewide who opted not to show a bizarre clip of Walters praying on camera to classrooms
Edmond students’ last day of school this year is set for Wednesday, May 21, according to the EPS online calendar
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Louis Grunewald built the hotel that would one day become The Roosevelt
The connection between the music store and the hotel is that both were established and owned by the same person
he opened a music store on Magazine Street
He later opened another store on Canal Street and built Grunewald Hall
a concert hall and ballroom one block off Canal on Baronne Street
Daily Picayune called it a “new and imposing structure
containing within its ample limits a handsome concert and ballroom
a nucleus of attraction to Baronne Street and an ornament to the city.”
Grunewald decided to build a hotel on the spot
It opened in time for the Carnival season of 1894
His son Theodore owned the hotel but sold it in 1923
with the slogan “Everything in Music.” A young Pete Fountain’s father bought his first clarinet for him at Grunewald’s
which also became known for publishing sheet music
Grunewald music stores opened on Carondelet Street
as well as on Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie in the 1970s
The Grunewald name also was attached to a music school at 827 Camp St. According to the WWOZ A Closer Walk website
the school educated some major players in New Orleans jazz
A crowd of nearly 82,000 people attended the game at Tulane Stadium
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In loving memory of Walter Richard "Dick" Grunewald Jr.
WV; David Grunewald (Lori Walters) of Peshtigo
WI; Kenneth Grunewald (Kimberley) of Bruce
WI; Steven Grunewald (Janel) of Friendship
WI; and Dayna Grunewald (Kyle Whettam) of TN
His legacy also includes his grandchildren
Dick was also blessed with several great-grandchildren
and Taylor.He was preceded in death by his wife
A private family gathering will be held at a later date
Submit A Story or Press Release: DrydenWire@gmail.com
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(KOKH) — Edmond Public Schools Superintendent Dr
Angela Grunewald announced on Friday that she's retiring at the end of the school year
Grunewald said in a statement that she has enjoyed her 17 years in Edmond and that serving as the superintendent has been the highlight of her career
"I continue to have so many dreams for this district to help us better serve students," Grunewald said
"I have no doubt that many of those dreams will come to fruition
The Edmond School Board will begin the search for a new superintendent immediately
Grunewald said she looks forward to the second semester and hopes to have a replacement named in the Spring
with the new superintendent taking over in June
Grunewald was named the first female superintendent in the district's history in June 2021
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Grunewald and Shiffler law firm of Medford and Abbotsford welcomes new associate attorney Trevor Passmore
Passmore is a 2024 graduate of UW-Madison Law School and began working with the firm on July 1
Grunewald and Shiffler is a general practice law firm that has served the region for more than 75 years
“We are happy to have Trevor join our firm
He has the skill and dedication to serve our clients and a passion for the law that is a requirement to work for our firm,” said attorney Bill Grunewald
Passmore was born in Minnesota but has spent much of his life in Hawaii where his family owns a bowling alley in Lihue on the island of Kauai
“We moved there when I was about 12 and I worked at the bowling alley the whole time
up until I went to college,” Passmore said
After high school he moved from the tropical paradise of Hawaii to attend Yale University in Connecticut
Passmore didn’t know what he wanted to do when he entered college
“I went into college very open-minded and wanting to explore professional fields,” he said
He initially started with classes for a pre-med course
reasoning that it would be the difficult to switch into later if he decided to go that route
He did internships each summer while in school and his first summer was in a psychiatrist’s office
His second summer internship was in the circuit court in Hawaii
This is where he developed a love for the law
“It is from the second summer that I knew I’d be going into law,” he said
Passmore said he was drawn to the law because of the variety of problem solving that needs to take place
“It is really wide the variety of problem solving that you get to see a lot of unique issues and it felt like an area where I was well suited to provide value for people,” he said
“I always really enjoyed games and puzzles and trying to figure out the best solution to any problem that was presented,” he said
which helps with working with clients and meeting their needs
like many college graduates during the COVID-era
Passmore missed out on having an in-person graduation and in-person classes
He spent the pandemic living at home in Hawaii and attending classes on-line
He said while Hawaii is not the worst place to be stuck during COVID
he was disappointed to miss out on a graduation ceremony and the many friends he was not anticipating seeing again as they went on to life after college
One of the unique challenges with attending online classes at Yale while living on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean was dealing with the time difference
My class is like at 3 AM and I'm like this sucks,” he said
He said he also missed out on doing an in-person research project having to pivot to it being more theoretical
Passmore said he wanted to come back to the upper midwest to complete his education
“I still have family nearby,” he said of his reasons for wanting to come back to the region
He said he applied to schools in Iowa and Minnesota as well as UW-Madison
He said he ultimately chose UW-Madison because it was the best value of the law schools
Passmore participated in Rural Entrepreneurship Program
The Rural Entrepreneurship Program is an initiative intended to support entrepreneurship outside of Madison and Milwaukee
The goal of the program is two-fold: to support entrepreneurs through direct action and support for policy initiatives that create opportunity for entrepreneurs in rural Wisconsin and to support law students interested in practicing in rural communities
“You’re effectively working as a no-cost law firm along with other students and you are supervised by a licensed attorney,” Passmore said
he said they would go to small towns around the state and answer questions for people who are looking to start small businesses.With his family’s first-hand experience in running a small business
he had an interest in the role businesses play in communities
“It certainly gives me some perspective and interest in small business
I have seen the court of community interaction that stems from the way small businesses within the community are tied together and have that opportunity for symbiosis,” he said
He said he knew he wanted to serve in a general practice firm in a smaller community
He noted that just because there are not as many attorneys
“You do a bit of whatever comes through the door,” he said
Passmore said the area of law he is most passionate about is in transactional and business-related law
He said it was helped in law school by his favorite professors teaching those classes
Passmore gained more first-hand experience in practicing law in a small town through an internship with a law firm in Princeton
a community in Green Lake county with about 1,200 residents
He said his time working there was valuable in knowing what to expect in terms of workload and procedures working at a small firm in a rural area
Passmore learned of the opportunity to come to Jensen
Grunewald and Shiffler when attorneys Bill Grunewald and Mike Shiffler came to UW-Madison to hold campus interviews to recruit to fill an attorney position
Passmore explained that this is an opportunity for firms to have open slots for law school students to come and interview with them
“His interests fit our community and we are confident he will fit in well,” Grunewald said
Passmore said he signed up and submitted his resume and met them for the first time
the attorney he worked under at the law firm in Princeton had been a roommate of Grunewald’s when the two were in law school
Passmore was invited up to Medford to see the office and community
Passmore said he was excited about what Medford had to offer and began making plans to come here
Passmore recently moved to an apartment in Medford
“It is certainly nicer than where I had been living in Madison through school,” Passmore said
Passmore said his biggest hobby is tabletop games and playing a lot of trading card games such as Magic the Gathering and Pokemon and just about any type of tabletop strategy games
He said he is excited by Medford having Tea and Tee Card and Hobby nearby on Main Street and that he is looking forward to becoming involved with what they have going on
Passmore is excited to explore the outdoors in the area and go camping and hiking
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Press release supplied by the Cape Town Cycle Tour
The elite women’s race at the Cape Town Cycle Tour tends to follow a similar pattern
but Pia Grünewald turned the 2025 edition on its head
The LKT Team Woman time triallist put her strengths against the clock to great use as she launched a speculative attack on the foothills of Smitswinkel
just 25 kilometres into the 78 kilometre women’s course
The chase behind failed to organise until Chapman’s Peak Drive
and with a 3-minute advantage going into the final 27 kilometres
ahead of a S’annara Grove lead final chase group
Near perfect conditions greeted the 122-rider strong elite women’s field
The pre-dawn sky was overcast but temperatures were warm and hardly a breath of wind blew across the gentle swells rolling into False Bay
From the start on Main Road in Fish Hoek the women
would contest the final two-thirds of the full
The standard format for the women’s race is a combative but surging approach
with attacks being closed down before the field thins out on Chapman’s Peak Drive and the final selection is made by the speed of the top riders and the steepness of Suikerbossie
Early attacks went and were brought back until Seana Littbarski-Gray accelerated rapidly
The group had to work hard to bring the German-born
Grünewald counter-attacked and only Janine Schneider was initially able to follow
The peloton was happy to let the German gain time on the Smitswinkel ascent and by the summit she had a 21 second advantage
and Grove would later confess that they did not know there was a rider up the road
“Without radios the first time I knew there was a break was at the foot of Chappies
when my team car came up and told me,” the South African Champion confessed
“It’s difficult,” Vera Looser explained
Tiffany [Keep] and myself are all in the same situation and we’re a similar type of rider
Without teams there is only so much we can do
so the teams don’t necessarily want to work with us.”
A lull in the chase behind allowed Grünewald to keep pushing the pace and extending her advantage
She went through Scarbrough and passed the bulk of the U17 Boy’s field
With the commissaires keeping the women’s race leader out of the convoy she gained no benefit from catching the group ahead
but showed great composure to not be thrown off her rhythm either
With 32 kilometres remaining Grünewald started the Chapman’s Peak climb with a 3 minute lead
Behind the women had heard not only that there was a rider up the road but also what her advantage was
Hayley Preen and Tiffany Keep did their utmost to reduce the deficit
but the lone leader was too powerful to cede her lead easily
Going over the summit and 10 kilometres later
coming through Camps Bay Grünewald still had a 90 second buffer
“LKT rode really well,” Keep praised
“It’s frustrating to be on the receiving end of team tactics like that
They disrupted the chase and worked to set up their sprinter for the race for second
I think I’ll have to bring my DAS-Hutchinson team next year.”
In the closing kilometres Grünewald could savour the victory
when my team car told me I had 2 minutes and 30 I knew I had it,” she smiled
“The rule of 1 minute per 10 kilometres
“This is only my second race of the season
and my first victory!” Grünewald stated
“It’s been a great trip out to South Africa with the team and to seal it with a victory is very special
and that’s exactly what I did.”
Grünewald’s winning time was 2 hours
Grove led the chase group home 1 minute and 31 seconds later
Looser and Kelsey van Schoor completed the top five places
2025 Cape Town Cycle Tour Elite Women’s Results
For the full results from the 2025 Cape Town Cycle Tour click here
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It all started with his love of numbers and a desire to match it with a discipline that could have social impact
Rob Grunewald discovered that intersection in his freshman economics class at St
“I saw I could use math in a powerful framework for looking at issues facing our country and internationally,” said the veteran economist in the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis’ Community Development department
30 years removed from that introductory econ course
Grunewald’s passion for communicating the economic value of public investment in early childhood development (ECD) lives on
as he speaks regularly about the issue across the nation
“As long as we still have children who have not received that investment
I’ll continue to be interested in new research and policies that best reach children and their families,” he said
That’s why Grunewald helped organize the “Innovation in Early Childhood Development and K-12 Education” conference last October
It was co-sponsored by the Bank’s Community Development department and the Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute
the conference pivoted to the future and innovative ideas
It focused on three areas: parental involvement in ECD
the impact of early learning program quality on child outcomes
and how markets for early learning can work more efficiently
Disparities in executive function skills by socioeconomic status are observed by the time children reach age two
Making the science of brain development tangible and applicable to daily life can help parents support their children’s development
teacher-assisted activities and a curriculum that structures time and engages children are key features of effective classroom instruction
High-quality child care often costs more than families can afford
but well-designed public funding and policies can bridge the gap and ensure adequate supply
Strong evidence on the ROI for early childhood development compels increased public investment
even as researchers continue to hone in on the key components of quality
Innovative and provocative is what Rolnick and Grunewald were when they wrote in 2003 that investments in ECD yield extraordinary public returns—as much as an inflation-adjusted 12 percent average annual rate
a far higher return than most traditional economic development programs
And they didn’t mince words when they wrote in the first line of that article
“Early childhood development programs are rarely portrayed as economic development initiatives
and we think that is a mistake,” adding
“The return on investment from early childhood development is extraordinary
resulting in better working public schools
Grunewald said: “The data made a convincing case
so we could really rely on the research to make a statement that economic development as conventionally considered was providing a much lower return than if we had invested these resources in our children
Sometimes readers only take in the first paragraph
We wanted to encourage them to read the rest of the article.”
there was little pushback from neuroscientists
and economists who understood that the story of developing human capital begins long before kindergarten
But there was pushback from other constituencies
The ECD work stemmed from another research focus and policy initiative that Rolnick had embraced: condemning the competition between states for the luring of corporations and jobs
The return on investment in that kind of economic development was poor
along with Minneapolis Fed colleague Melvin Burstein
As Grunewald and Rolnick argued for a public investment in early learning for kids
they recommended the creation of a permanent endowment to support scholarships for low-income children
The idea came as they watched two Minnesota professional sports franchises—the baseball Twins and football Vikings—threaten to move to other states unless they received public funding for two new stadiums
that amounted to more than $800 million in public financing for the Twins and Vikings facilities
who is now a senior fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs
and Grunewald calculated that an investment of that size could provide scholarships for thousands of low-income children to attend high-quality early learning programs “in perpetuity,” Grunewald said
the researchers got some pushback for comparing an endowed fund for young children with providing privately owned sports teams public financing
there is no free lunch,” Grunewald said
“There is always something we give up for choices we make individually or as a society
Research shows that turning our backs on young children costs a lot.”
the Twins and Vikings stadiums were built and no ECD endowment was established
but Grunewald has been encouraged by some of the progress made in early childhood investments since 2003
it all leads back to that freshman course and Grunewald’s embrace of the connections between math
“It’s helpful to take an issue that typically would be considered a social issue or a moral issue and bring economic analysis to it,” he said
“I sometimes jokingly say that you don’t even have to like children to achieve this high rate of return because it simply makes good business sense to make these early investments
Join Rob Grunewald on Sept. 5 when he leads a Conversation with the Fed on early care and education. Learn more and register here
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The best interviews are like hanging out with new friends of whom you can ask anything; this was like that
That dinner was on the fourth of five days I would spend with Justin and Gabe
for another race that also did not go well
Gabe was in the early stages of a chemotherapy program which would not be shown effective at improving her health but was hell on her training and racing
they ran together along the Mississippi River and back and forth over a few of the bridges that cross it
I rode along on a mountain bike and asked questions
We spent a chunk of the next day with Gabe’s family—her father Kim
Gabe sat across from me at a high table in her and Justin’s apartment in the shadow of the Vikings’ U.S
and explained every detail of her eight years battling adenoid cystic carcinoma
a rare cancer with no course of treatment and no cure
Gabe—born Gabriel Anderson because her mom loved Biblical names
and which Gabe later lengthened herself with an “e” on the end
because she liked that even better—was an unflinching narrator of her own journey
to share the details of her illness and her fight
in hopes that it might help shine a light on diseases that don’t come with pink bows or 5k runs and that others might draw strength from her strength
though she would never have phrased it that way
“All of this talking is so far out of my comfort zone,” she told me
“I was conflicted about how much I wanted to share
like if didn’t talk about my cancer maybe it wouldn’t come back.”
where she learned that the best way to circumvent small town sports politics was to run
because the watch does not lie or discriminate
(She remained miffed about getting left off the Homecoming Court
jabbing her index finger in the air as she ran.) She told me about winning a scholarship to the University of Minnesota
after stubbornly waiting months for her home state school to finally offer
She told me about the first time she learned she had cancer
while staying at a hotel in Arizona as a senior in college
waiting to launch the best season of her career
and about Googling ACC and seeing the word “incurable,” and thinking: Well
People get this disease and just succumb to it
She told me about coming back a year later
but also to party a little harder because she had never done that in the past and who knows
“Sometimes those nights ended in tears and drama,” she said
“Because I would get emotional about everything.”
She and Justin told me about what happened in 2016
and doctors found a volleyball-sized tumor that devoured two-thirds of her liver
About screaming out loud to get the tumor out of her body
even though it would be many days before that could happen
only six months later the cancer came back again
I’m supposed to say that in these interviews I nearly cried
because of the spirited way in which Gabe could tell even the most ominous tales
The other reporting I did before writing about Gabe was far less encouraging
An oncologist treating Gabe in Minneapolis said her cancer: “Is characterized by coming back.” A specialist in New York
your chance of curing it is highest when it first presents
the likelihood is lower.” After my story on Gabe was published in SI in July of 2017
a doctor I know and who has been a resource for me on other stories emailed me to say: “What an inspiring young woman
I hope you understand how her story ends.”
having been in the presence of Gabe’s ebullient determination and Justin’s quiet strength (he is not only an excellent runner
I came to imagine the next story I might write about Gabe
I imagined watching that race and interviewing Gabe afterward
watching her contort her face in that way she liked to do
making a joke about the success or failure of her performance and then turning serious to explain her survival and to encourage and inspire others
I imagined fighting back tears as I punched the keys on my laptop
Gabe: I appreciate the time you took covering my story
and I’m so glad people have been touched by it
Fortunately immunotherapy has had me feeling good (hoping for good results
too) and I’m feeling a lot better running than I did in June
Always thinking the best for you and Justin and your family
You know by now that I will never get the chance to tell that story
even cynical journalists who can always find the darkness in a sunny day
Gabe willed people to believe in the impossible
On Tuesday night
known to the running community and far beyond as Gabe
died of complications due to adenoid cystic carcinoma
Gabe died in the presence of family and friends
in a new apartment into which Gabe and Justin had recently moved
still close to the football stadium but with big windows
welcoming sunlight and a view of the river
Gabe had been moved into end of life care on Monday morning
“We’re sitting and cherishing memories and holding her hand,” he said
so we believe there is a place beyond this world
Justin had gone public with Gabe’s condition in the last days before her passing
he described Gabe as having lab work that was “incompatible with life,” but then
she took a deep breath and yelled NOT TODAY.” Five days later in another post
Justin wrote that Gabe was back in the hospital on June 4
This time it was me asking her to wait a bit longer and she agreed.” Then on Sunday night
Justin posted again: “It breaks my heart to say
but overnight Gabriele’s status worsened with worsening liver function causing confusion
we have made the difficult decision to move her to comfort care this afternoon.”
When I talked to Justin on Monday afternoon
Gabriele and I came to a peace with everything.” He said he received more than 5,000 messages in less than 24 hours after his announcement that Gabe was being moved
in which he also wrote: “I wanted to let you all know
while she is still alive so you can send her one last message here or on her wall or on her phone before she heads up to heaven.”
In the two years since I met and wrote about Gabe (and Justin)
as the story I had hoped to write about her miraculous comeback became increasingly unlikely
a mentor; an activist—who simply would not give up in the face of an unbeatable opponent
Her coaches always tried to get her to stick her nose in the race a little earlier
She stuck her nose in this one from the gun
#BraveLikeGabe was a social media hashtag to recognize Gabe’s courage
It evolved into the name of the foundation she started with Justin
to raise awareness of rare cancers and to raise money for research
That foundation has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and Justin told me that the foundation’s work will continue in Gabe’s absence
We are a culture that rallies around big causes
and without nearly the support heaped on more common cancers
and fought to her last breath to effect change
but an important reality that in other ways
watching amoeba that is called the running community
The verb most often employed here is “inspired,” a malleable word
where so many people awaken every morning with fists balled
was a reminder that there are much bigger battles
In the midst of swimming upstream against a relentless illness
Gabe’s bottomless courage and optimism came in the face of odds that she fully understood
To wit: My original story on Gabe’s battle was published on July 8
Tim: Not sure you heard about Gabe today… Not good news… tumors are growing and more of them
Stopping Chemo… off to New York soon… FYI… Thanks again for the story
Soon afterward Gabe would begin the immunotherapy that helped her briefly feel better
Gabe made all this clear in an Instagram post darted Feb
21 of this year: “…That’s the thing about most of my scans over the last three years – they’ve almost all been bad….”
So understand this: Gabe spent the last years of her life fighting
inspiring others… fully aware that she was not winning her own fight
Many of us live every day in denial of our own mortality
gently nudging its presence to the perimeter of our existence
and she punched at it until she could no longer lift her arms
On the last day I spent with Gabe two years ago
I met her in the lobby of her apartment building as she finished a run
not the cancer patient that she would eventually become
“I was never one of those people who had a transcendental relationship with running,” she said and gosh
neither was I (and neither are a lot of people)
“I love running now more than I ever did,” she said
this: “For a few years I was low-level anxious that the cancer would come back
TIM LAYDENSenior writer Tim Layden primarily covers NFL, the Olympics and horse racing for SI and SI.com. After years of near-misses, Layden followed American Pharoah’s journey to horse racing’s triple crown.
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at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire
Joan was born to Frank and Elizabeth (Peterson) Rabideaux
she married the love of her life and best friend August Grunewald in Bayfield
Shortly after their marriage they moved to Chippewa Falls
WI where they have been lifelong residents
While her children were young she stayed at home to take care of them
She also enjoyed working in her large garden
She made the best apple pies and if you were to stop in and visit she would always ask if you were hungry and wanted something to eat
In 1972 she began working for the State of Wisconsin at the Northern Center in food service where she retired 20 years later. After their retirements they enjoyed travelling the western United States and fishing in Canada
Joan had a strong faith in God and was a long-time member of Notre Dame Parish and prayed the rosary daily
At family gatherings she would end every prayer with “keep us all well.”
Mary Grunewald of Middleton; grandchildren
Erin (Shandon) Grunewald of Chippewa Falls
and Mandy Grunewald of Middleton; a great-granddaughter
Mosley Grunewald; and step-great-grandsons
Allen (Mary Jo) Rabideaux of Bayfield; along with many nieces
nephews and other loving family and friends
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband
We would like to extend a special thank you to Mayo Health Systems
at Notre Dame Catholic Church with a visitation one hour prior to the mass at church
The interment will be in Hope Catholic Cemetery
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When the last runner crosses the finish line of the Dallas Marathon on Dec
Marcus Grunewald — who in 2022 marks 20 years as race director — can finally rest
exhausted runners completing their 26.2 mile trek
Grunewald might slip in a question: “What did you think of the course?” Because he’s already thinking about next year
‘is this how we want to do it next year?’”
As participants recover with beer and baths
recognize another successful year and conduct the post mortem (what went wrong?)
there are a million emails to answer and a race expo at the convention center to clean up
Rest doesn’t come easy when you’re called to govern Texas’ oldest marathon
Dallas’ largest annual fitness and family event
We’re talking 40,000 people, from every American state and beyond, attending some portion of the weekend’s events, which include a three-day health exposition
If Grunewald is the heart, the 2,500-volunteer army is its lifeblood
They’ll distribute some 10,785 gallons of water and Gatorade
625 gallons of beer and collect 112 bags of discarded clothing for donating to local charities
To pull off this engineering marvel — wherein the equivalent of a sold-out American Airlines Center crowd (20,000-plus people) moves across our city at paces varying between 4-12 mph — the team utilizes outside consultants and solicits the support of many city departments
In addition to distributing 25,000 door hangers around town
If more people can put a face with the event
the less angry they will be when their Sunday commute is interrupted
and we have learned that by reaching out and notifying as many people as possible about what’s going to happen race weekend
Anyone who has watched a dear one cross the marathon finish line (or done it themselves) knows that’s where the magic happens
but shrewd strategizing goes into the start (which
At the inaugural running of the White Rock Marathon (now Dallas Marathon) in 1971
80 men and women crowded near the start — fast guys up front
First to cross the finish line was the winner
runners wearing timing chips are grouped into corrals based on their anticipated pace; they launch in five-minute intervals
The slower competitors typically don’t even cross the starting line until more than an hour after the elites
“One of the trickiest things is making sure the start is clear before the fastest half-marathon runners start finishing,” Grunewald says
“There is never a dull moment at the start-finish.”
The Lake Highlands man who lives and breathes the Dallas Marathon hasn’t mentioned his 20-year milestone to many people
“He has put his heart and soul into this race and has brought together many people in this community and throughout the country for many years,” Darsi says
“Marcus is a very humble person and doesn’t like to be in the spotlight but I believe he is due some recognition.”
worked for the same company and fell for one another at a happy hour at Studebakers
so pursuing separate passions worked in their favor
Grunewald ran his first marathon at White Rock in 1984
“I was in an informal running group in college when I saw something about
that you had to train for years before running a marathon
Grunewald ran another nine times before an injury interrupted his streak
“I really liked that job and the paychecks
but the people I enjoyed the most were my running friends
When the marathon needed a full-time employee
it didn’t pay what I had been making in the banking world
but I discovered that it was more important to be happy
I’ve got one of the best jobs in the world.”
When he’s not at City Hall, meeting with the Dallas Marathon Board, presenting checks to Scottish Rite for Children (the marathon has donated $4 million since 1997) or hosting a pre-marathon event
you’ll find Grunewald running with a group of friends around the lake or a dirt trail
You’ll know him by his trademark yellow visor
(“We have a garage full of them,” Darsi says
“Marcus is not only the executive race director for BMW Dallas Marathon. He is also an ambassador for racing in Dallas in general, and one of the biggest supporters of the running scene,” says Julie Lanaux, a founding member of White Rock Running Co-op
“The best scenario for races is where the race gives as much back to the local running scene as the local runners contribute to the race
and Marcus is the living embodiment of that concept.”
To continue challenging himself as an athlete
Grunewald started running longer distances (getting older
which is one of the reasons the Dallas Marathon added a 50k
“It’s unofficially Marcus’s Ultra Marathon,” he says
who doesn’t share much about his personal life
he just “wasn’t feeling right,” and his running performance was suffering
So he saw a physician and wound up undergoing quintuple bypass surgery to treat blocked arteries
“The doctor said if I had run another race
it probably would have been the last thing I did,” Grunewald says
“As runners we tend to push through injuries because we just think that’s who we are,” he says
You really need to pay attention to those injuries
event planning is a world of disappointments
Grunewald’s worst experience as director was having to cancel the marathon due to weather
who typically runs around doing whatever is needed on race day
remembers her husband going out the Saturday before race day in 2013
“He was out there in the truck before I even woke up
We can’t have the race.’” It was devastating
the only time the race was ever called off aside from the pandemic years
“We all felt personally responsible for the pain and suffering that the runners went through.”
A better day was when East Dallas chiropractor Logan Sherman’s “dream of winning the marathon” came true
he hugged Marcus,” Darsi recalls of the 2015 winner
and then I watched Logan grow up and become such a great guy,” Marcus Grunewald says
“I feel like the Dallas marathon is my race
runner Gabriele Grunewald who died after a ten year battle with cancer
who inspired a viral outpouring of online love and gratitude for her relentlessly positive spirit during her 10-year journey running despite battling cancer
passed away June 11 at her home in Minneapolis
Diagnosed with a rare cancer in her salivary gland in 2009
made an emotional Instagram post Tuesday evening letting the world know
Olympic Membership - Free Live Stream Sports & Original Series - join now! 🥇
A post shared by Justin Grunewald (@justingrunewald1) on Jun 11
"Thank you for showing me what bravery looks like." - Kara Goucher
A post shared by Justin Grunewald (@justingrunewald1) on Jun 10, 2019 at 12:44pm PDT
In November 2017, Gabe spoke to the Olympic Channel about her story and had these powerful words for women everywhere.
"My story and my life message is just to never underestimate your own inner strength and the power that you have over your own circumstances."
"I mean, we're all going to go through different things in our life, whether it's cancer or something else, but we all have the power to live with a positive attitude and do our best and I would just say to, you know, find your own inner strength."
"We all have it. And most women are a lot stronger than they think they are."
Messages of courage, love and admiration have been sent to Gabriele Grunewald who died after battling cancer for 10 years. She shared this emotional message with Olympic Channel in November 2017.
Gabriele Grunewald, known to everyone as Gabe, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in 2009.
It's called adenoid cystic carcinoma and usually originates in the salivary glands.
Defiant in the face of the diagnosis Gabe went through surgery and radiation treatment but continued to run for the University of Minnesota, finishing second in the 1,500m at the 2010 NCAA championships.
In 2012 Grunewald finished fourth in the 1,500m at the 2012 Olympic trials and in 2014 she became US indoor 3,000m champion.
Her 4:01:48 personal best over 1,500m in 2013 still stands as the 12th fastest set by an American woman in history.
Despite treatments for cancer in her thyroid and liver in 2017, the U.S. track star still kept running and kept recording impressive times.
A post shared by gabriele anderson grunewald (@gigrunewald) on Jan 9, 2019 at 4:58pm PST
Despite a decade-long cancer ordeal she ran, defying doctors, challenging diagnoses.
The girl born in Perham, Minnesota, even harboured hopes of making the USA Tokyo 2020 team.
"Running has always been a great outlet for me. Running has taught me to live in the moment and enjoy being in the present moment," she said in an interview with the Olympic Channel back in November 2017.
Former American indoor 1500m champion Gabe Grunewald is determined to achieve her goal of competing in the Olympic Games.
While that dream of making Tokyo 2020 wasn't to be, this runner touched lives far beyond the people she met in person.
Many answered her husband's call to send one last message.
On June 10th Gabe's husband Justin, who's a doctor, posted this message about his wife's worsening condition:
"It breaks my heart to say but overnight Gabriele’s status worsened with worsening liver function causing confusion. Wanting to do her no harm we have made the difficult decision to move her to comfort cares this afternoon.
I wanted to let you all know while she is still alive so you can send her one last message here or on her wall or on her phone before she heads up to heaven.
I wrote this to her a couple years ago below and wanted to share what she means to me.
First, thank you. Thank you so much for showing me what it's like to be and feel alive. It's easy to pass through life day to day and punch a time card wishing away the hours. Currently although I don't always show it, I cherish every second. Whether we are out running, binging on a new Netflix series, or just lying in bed being lazy. Nothing beats the feeling I get when I see your smiling face.
I know life is scary and I know we have won the lottery of uncertainty, and it's not fair, but I still choose our life of uncertainly and at times fear, over any alternative option I could think of. I have so much fun with you and have learned more from having you as my best friend and wife than I learned in the rest of my life combined.
At the end of the day people won't remember the PRs run or the teams qualified for but they will remember that hard period in their life where they were losing hope but they found inspiration in a young lady who refuses to give up.
A post shared by Justin Grunewald (@justingrunewald1) on Jun 9, 2019 at 12:48pm PDT
The response was overwhelming with running stars, running fans, and Gabe supporters lighting up the net with messages on how she had inspired them.
A post shared by gabriele anderson grunewald (@gigrunewald) on Apr 22
His resilience and activism showed me that to live in fulfilment is to question authority and do the right thing
we treat the living survivors of the Holocaust as memorials: we pay our respects
so too do their memories and then only recorded history remains
It might seem that events cease to exist except in physical monuments
Trauma is inherited and values are shaped; forced migration
violence and persecution live on in families for generations
My grandfather grew up in south-east Germany
he was placed on the Kindertransport and found himself in London
where he was befriended by a Jewish charity
Records indicate that they were taken to Auschwitz
but as with millions of victims of the Holocaust we can only guess at the horror of how they died
The world that my grandfather grew up in is almost beyond my understanding
He spent his formative years as an orphan in a foreign country that was hostile to his existence and suspicious of his motives
Yet he survived losing his home and family
made new friends – some kinder than others – and tamed his anxiety and depression
married and created a new life for himself
Rather than surrendering to misfortune he trained as an engineer
met my gentile grandmother and raised a gentile family
His early experiences guided his understanding of his place in the world and encouraged his political activism
He was a member of Jewish Labour and a vehement campaigner to protect the NHS
As a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
he was arrested for a sitting down protest in Parliament Square
He wrote fierce letters to MPs in defence of the rights of Palestinians
will not let you leave his house without a stomach full of food and a head filled with choice words about this government
some sixty years after my grandfather’s lonely arrival to the UK
The bitter resentment of everything German
a prominent feature for the post-war generation
had dissipated by then so my German name was not an embarrassment for me
It was significant – a reminder of where I came from and how lucky my family and I were to be here
Other families of Holocaust survivors may have different inheritances
I am immensely grateful for the magnificent sacrifice that my great-grandparents made in ensuring my grandfather had a safe passage to the UK
strong principles and activism showed me that to live in fulfilment is to live with purpose
When I was at school the immigration debate was loud and irate
In my town the British National Party received 9 per cent of the vote during the 2010 election
I couldn’t understand why people believed that the privilege of being born in a place of safety gave them authority over its borders
or why they thought that race or religion had any bearing on an individual’s value
it was almost unthinkable that anyone could see immigration as anything other than wonderful
Though we often talked politics at the kitchen table
I did not need it explained to me how or why we should open our doors to refugees
What my grandfather did help me to understand
was why extremism grows – how dangerous individuals may harness poisonous narratives to justify their own prejudices and make sense of the confusing world around them
He wrote in his memoirs: “People of different religions and ethnic backgrounds may live peaceably side by side for centuries
they turn on each other with deadly hatred like dormant volcanoes springing back to life.”
After studying politics at university my first job was in parliament
assisting MPs in holding the government to account
After three years I could no longer stand the deference to impartiality of being a public servant
From his experience came a desire to take a stand – to write
My identity and values were shaped by the atrocity of Nazism
His experiences made him an advocate for others
a strength which could have so easily been smothered by misery and hopelessness
The life I have is a gift from my ancestors
it is incumbent on me to live with these values
memorable pain strikes when he's out of breath
Justin Grunewald was on a mountain run a few weeks ago through rain
snow and a blast of sun when suddenly he heard his late wife's heartbeat
taking him back to Gabriele's last moments on the couch of their Minneapolis condo
he instinctively had switched into physician mode because the pain of being her husband was too great to bear
He grabbed his stethoscope and listened to the sacred sound of her beating heart
When he heard the cadence again on that Colorado trail
the sadness — and joy — of feeling her presence brought him to his knees
"I'll never regret doing that," he wrote
"Despite listening to thousands of heart beats and feeling thousands of pulses
i can still feel and hear yours when i need it."
He later sent those words out to his more than 60,000 followers on Instagram
where Justin regularly reveals the traumatic
complicated experience of what it's like to walk through grief — and to find love and happiness again
she inspired thousands of social media followers all over the planet to keep doing what they love in the face of insurmountable hardship
Gabe died three years ago this month at the age of 32
Justin told me he knows it's weird. To be this fortunate. To lose one fairytale ending, only to land another fairytale.
"Amanda essentially saved my life," said Justin, who's 36. "It's dramatic to say, but life is hard when you're alone all of a sudden. I'd spent 10 years of my life with Gabriele — the happiest, best life — and then all of a sudden, you get off your shift, and you come home to an empty condo every night."
A hospitalist at Abbott Northwestern in Minneapolis, he switched to the night shift because coming home at 6 a.m., rather than 5 in the evening, blunts the pain. He could just give into his fatigue and pass out without having to think.
Yet some people seem to want his story to end with Gabriele's death, uncomfortable with the sight of him moving forward. An ultramarathoner who runs 100-mile races, he inherently knows suffering and soldiering on: left, right, left, right. A small portion of his followers have sent him the cruelest messages, "stuff that makes you want to throw up," he said, accusing him of forgetting about Gabe.
The widowed are told they are moving too fast
my beautiful sister-in-law who was just 38
I root for Justin because I see so much of my brother in him
When you've watched people you love walk through hell
you want more than anything for them to find their way back to joy
we render ourselves vulnerable to the worst kind of pain
"There were conversations I was incredibly fortunate that she forced us to have many times
that she'd murder me if I didn't continue on my life and find happiness," Justin said
He remains close to Gabriele's parents
who've experienced far more trauma than any family should
was on her way to a soccer game when she was struck and killed by a driver who authorities say was high on opioids
"It's like a horror story that doesn't make any sense," Justin said of the family's pain
Justin said her father cried and hugged him
Justin remembers his father-in-law's words: "You're not going to spend the rest of your life alone."
a professional trail runner and endurance coach based in Boulder
through a mutual friend at a race in Texas
Justin was complaining that he didn't do his best because his stomach hurt
But Amanda wouldn't indulge his excuses
"It was very nice not to be coddled because everyone just wants to make sure I'm not going to break down and cry," he said
"Maybe I need more of this in my life."
He thinks it's because his subconscious was trying to remember the exact shape and size of Gabriel in his arms and cling to what he had lost
But when his new friend Amanda reached out for him
"a hug actually felt like a hug."
They were invited by a brand that filmed them running the Kalalau Trail in Kauai in February 2020
Running together in paradise right before a pandemic cemented their relationship
who now splits his time between Minneapolis and their home in Boulder
can sense when his grief is spilling sideways into crabbiness and irritability
Having a family with her is better than any scenario Justin would have foreseen for himself three years ago
you'll see he's wearing his grief on his sleeve
even though he's sensitive to the trolls and to the sadness of others who share their suffering
He does it because he can connect with — even inspire — those who feel like they've lost everything
"You can't sit things out because of guilt," he said
"Whether you fall in love with your spouse's best friend
you never know what's going to happen
Life's both too long and too short to spend it without love and happiness and camaraderie."
The fifth annual Brave Like Gabe 5K will be held Saturday at Lake Phalen Regional Park in St. Paul. The event also has a virtual option. Proceeds will support the Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Research Foundation. More information can be found at bravelikegabe.org.
Laura Yuen, a Star Tribune features columnist, writes opinion as well as reported pieces exploring parenting, gender, family and relationships, with special attention on women and underrepresented communities. With an eye for the human tales, she looks for the deeper resonance of a story, to humanize it, and make it universal.
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Few runners know better than Justin Grunewald how life can twist and turn in unexpected ways.
Like many of us, the 34-year-old native Minneapolis and doctor of internal medicine had plenty of race goals heading into 2020. But unlike most of us, he started the year with a heavy heart and a much different path in life than a year earlier.
Last June, Grunewald lost the love of his life and became a widow when his wife, Gabriele, died at the age of 32 after a long battle with a rare form of cancer. “Gabe” Grunewald was an elite track athlete who battled adenoid cystic carcinoma on and off for 10 years …
Gabe’s inspiring courage captured the attention of the running community, but so did Justin’s enduring love and support for her. Together they founded the “Brave Like Gabe” organization to fund research and bring awareness to the fight against rare cancers.
After an understandably emotional 2019, Justin Grunewald adjusted his running focus to the trails this year and has been on a tear as of late, setting 14 Fastest Known Times since February—including six since mid-June. The slogan “Brave Like Gabe” remains a motivating mantra close to the heart of thousands of runners, especially Justin. He’s continued to post loving memories of Gabe on his social-media outlets.
“You don’t ever move on. A piece of your heart is lost forever,” he said in an Instagram post on July 15. “You have the happiest and saddest memories that will never go away. You collapse at the sound of a song. But you realize you have to keep moving. Not moving on, but moving forward. If you don’t, you’ll miss out on so much future happiness and possibility.”
A post shared by Justin Grunewald (@justin_grunewald)
Grunewald has been splitting time between Minneapolis
where he works for several weeks at a time and then has several weeks off
but he’s also been on the road and running new trails wherever he can find them
“I was Gabrielle’s training partner on the track for a long time and I wouldn’t trade that for anything,” he says
“But it’s been nice to be able to get on trails and explore some new places to run fast
The main reasons I love going after FKTs is that I’ve been on the road and I just look up a trail I’ve never seen and go run it hard.”
Justin Grunewald had plenty of race goals heading into 2020
he drove his new adventure van from Minnesota to Texas to run the Bandera 100K
hoping to earn a Golden Ticket entry into the Western States 100
but he rolled an ankle at the 70K mark and wound up eighth overall
the stars of the former “Fixer Upper” TV series
the Magnolia line of fashion and design goods and their forthcoming Magnolia TV network
After escaping for three weeks to Patagonia with his brother, he returned for another stint of work before heading to Lake Sonoma, California, in early March for a training trip in preparation for the Lake Sonoma 50 and another hope for a Golden Ticket the following month. Upon arriving, he ran the Way Too Cool 50K in a blistering 3:21:16 while finishing runner-up
just three minutes behind winner Darren Thomas
the coronavirus pandemic shut the country down
the April 11 Lake Sonoma race was canceled and soon most other races were too
he set new FKTs on the Crater Rim Trail in Oregon and the Wind Caves Loop in Utah
He finally went back to Texas to pick up his decked-out van recently and started plotting more FKTs
Luna-Lima ripped off an amazing 2:46:22 effort
“The FKT scene has been crazy this summer,” Grunewald said
“… There are no easy days in FKT-ing
Sometimes you think there are some easier ones
but you’ve always got to go hard because every trail is different and you never know what to expect once you get out there.”
Grunewald said his favorite FKT experience was the first one he set on the Kalalau Trail on the Hawaiian island of Kauai
try to set the new women’s supported FKT and pre-ran the course several times before assisting her on her way to her 4:47:30 FKT
bad cramps and vomiting while supporting Basham and bonked badly
he resorted to throwing his handheld water bottle into a tree to knock oranges to the ground and hobbled back to the trailhead
But Grunewald recovered and a few days later ran the 20-mile out-and-back route on his own in 3:43:58
taking 14 minutes off Ryan Atkins’ previous unsupported FKT
it was one of those perfect days that you get on a race day and everything just clicks and I felt great,” he said
so even the sights were beautiful that day.”
Grunewald is signed up for the Run Rabbit Run 100 on Sept
but he is considering an FKT attempt on a longer trail
“I’ve had a few wrong turns and some challenges
but I’ve had some great experiences and it’s been a lot of fun so far,” he says
Justin Grunewald has kept his followers in the loop while Gabe valiantly fought salivary gland and thyroid cancer for the past ten years