History

The Prairie Striders Running Club was organized on September 12, 1969, under the auspices of the AAU to promote jogging and distance running for fun, fitness, and fellowship at the instigation of Jay Dirksen, then track coach at South Dakota State University. The first president was Bob Bartling, who then continuously functioned as treasurer until 2012.

The club has sponsored runs of every distance, from one mile to the marathon, and has teams representing it in many races in the Midwest. Prairie Striders also boasts one of the finest running libraries in the nation. 

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Presidents of Prairie Striders Running Club
​1970 — Bob Bartling
1971 — Russ Strande
1972-73 — Lorne Bartling
1974-75 — Scott Underwood
1976 — Ken Haug
1977 — Harvey Mills
1978 — John Iverson
1979 — Nels Granholm
1980-81 — Lou Eggebraaten* first female president
1982-83 — John Bonaiuto
1984 — Bill Jensen
1985-94 — Tom Bezdichek
1995-98 — Steve Britzman
1999-2002 — Andy Stockholm
2003-2009 — Matt Bien
2010-12 — Shari Landmark
​2013 – present — Dave Graves

After debuting the Longest Day Marathon on June 21, 1970, on a hot Sunday on the first day of summer, the race moved to November in 1974 and stayed there through 1981. This 1977 picture shows local runners Harvey Mills (386), Dave Carneggie (314) of Sioux Falls and Lyle Claussen (383) as well as John Lathrop, Valley Springs (380); Homer Hastings, Wyoming, (302). On each side of Hastings are Bryan Thoreson and Kelly Thoreson (38), both of Brandon. Other runners couldn't be identified.

The pioneers

Charter member Russ Strande writes, "In summer 1969, two new track coaches took over — myself at Brookings High School and Jay Dirksen at SDSU. One Saturday morning Jay and I were in Bartling Furniture Store talking to Bob.

Jay said we should start a running club. Bob and I said, "Good idea. Let's do it."

Prairie Striders held its first meeting Sept. 12, 1969, in the east classroom of the Barn, the nickname for what was then the school’s gym.

Dirksen invited three of his freshmen runners—John Iverson, Jim Egeberg and Scott Underwood.

Other charter members were Bruce Berger, a Brookings High School cross country runner; Chuck McMullen and Keith Morrill, SDSU faculty members; Harvey Mills and Grant Peterson.