Harvey Mills Friend of Running Award
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Each year the Prairie Striders Running Club honors someone from the running community for their support of Prairie Strider activities and/or promoting running in the Brookings community.
If you know of someone who you feel is deserving of this award, please fill out the nomination form. The award winner will be recognized at an end-of-year Prairie Striders event. |
Past Winners
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2007 - Bob Bartling
President of the original board of Prairie Striders when it was formed by then SDSU cross-country coach Jay Dirksen on Sept. 12, 1969. |
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2008 - Jay Dirksen
Head cross country coach at the University of Nebraska from 1983 to 2011. |
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2009 - Scotty Roberts
Director of the marathon in Brookings from 1981 to 2003. |
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2010 - Tom Bezdichek
President of the club from 1982 to 1990. |
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2011 - Matt Bien
President of the club from 2003 to 2009, Brookings Marathon race director 2007 to present. |
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2012 - Steve Britzman
Director of the Hobo Day 5K since its founding in 1996 and the Arbor Day 5K since its founding in 1989. |
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2013 - Chuck Tiltrum
Prairie Striders race director in the early 1990s and race course certification chairman for South Dakota during the 1990s through The Athletics Congress. |
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2014 - Reed Hart
An advocate of running and lifetime member who gifted the club with $20,000 from his estate. |
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2015 - Mary Bjerke
A vital part of the Brookings Marathon planning committee for more than a decade who also runs in or volunteers with other Prairie Striders races. |
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2016 - Shari Landmark
Former vice president and president of Prairie Striders Running Club, director of Jack 15 road race for 12 years and the only director of the I'm Ready for Summer Triathlon in its 17-year history. |
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2017 - Lorne Bartling
A charter member of Prairie Striders Running Club and club president in 1972-73 who was ranked first nationally for the 60-64 age group in the one-hour run in 1981. |
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2018 - Kevin Smith
Used his interest in computers to create the Brookings Marathon website and revise the Prairie Striders website as well as maintain and update both sites for 11 years. |
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2019 - Lou Eggebraaten
First female president of the club, serving two one-years in 1980 and 1981, Eggebraaten has been a willing volunteer for club from the late 1970s to the present. |
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2020 - Dave Graves President of Prairie Striders since 2013 and director of the Jack 15 since 2012, Graves also is editor of the club newsletter and ran 36 marathons. 2021 - Jay Larsen A five-time Boston Marathon qualifier and longtime Prairie Striders race volunteer, Larsen has served as club treasurer and membership director since 2013. 2022 - Russ Strande A charter member of Prairie Striders in 1969 and an active competitor in Prairie Striders races as well as others around the region and nation.. 2023 - Charles 'Chuck' McCullough Has been a Brookings Marathon mainstay for nearly 20 years and has directed the Scotty Roberts 5K, held the evening prior to the marathon, since 2018. 2024 - Chris Gruenhagen An avid runner, enthusiastic coach of the Brookings High School boys and girls cross country and an ardent Jackrabbit supporter. |