The MDRA Annual Party is a great time to reconnect with friends you haven’t seen since the marathon!  It is also a great place to win gift certificates, race entries, and other running related stuff.  Not to mention the free pizza and ice cream! All in all a great event, especially since I won $20 to Marathon Sports, and some friends gave me their race entries to some local 5k’s. Here is a slideshow from the day taken by Wayne Kryduba.

State of the Club address by President, Kirk Walztoni:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn6gS0fA4CM

2010 Awards:

This video was too large for YouTube.

Volunteer of the Year Award this year went to Rob Lundquist.  Rob is an all around great guy who continues to provide invaluable service to MDRA and the running community.

MN Elite Athlete Development Program.  From Twin Cities in Motion (pdf):

MEADP is a collaboration of Grandma’s Marathon, Twin Cities Marathon, Inc., Austin-Jarrow Sports and the Minnesota Distance Running Association, and is designed to assist elite Minnesota distance runners who have completed their academic running careers in reaching their full athletic potential. In 2009, MEADP will provide

grants, in amounts up to $2,000 per recipient, to promising Minnesota elite distance runners, to

assist them in reaching their full athletic potential.

Masters road racing star and long-time MDRA officer Gloria Jansen will be presented with the Lanin Award for Distinguished Service. The award is MDRA’s most prestigious honor, given for years of service and contribution to the sport.

The award is named for the founder of MDRA, Pat Lanin.