At left, Dick Ostroot (421) starts the 2013 5-kilometer Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run. Ostroot, a former longtime track and field coach in the Falls, was the oldest in the 5K race at age 72.
At left, Dick Ostroot (421) starts the 2013 5-kilometer Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run. Ostroot, a former longtime track and field coach in the Falls, was the oldest in the 5K race at age 72.
How do you run 35 years’ worth of Freeze Your Gizzard Blizzard Runs?
One step at a time.
Dick Ostroot has been taking those steps, ever since the run’s inception in 1980. Originally from Hibbing, Ostroot lived in International Falls from 1968-1994, when he taught at the local high school and coached track and field.
In 1980, Ostroot was on the original race committee, but the idea for the race came from the chamber of commerce’s director at the time, Darrell Gustafson. At the time, Ostroot said Gustafson had to sell him on the idea, as he wasn’t so sure about it.
“I said, ‘that idea’s crazy,’” Ostroot said. “And he said, ‘exactly, that’s the appeal. Running in the winter in International Falls is insane, so it’s bound to catch on.’”
After some deliberation, Ostroot said he saw what Gustafson was thinking, and realized it was a great idea.
The original event only offered a 10K distance, Ostroot said, with the 5K distance starting up about 10 years ago. Again, he said he originally wasn’t a fan of adding the 5K distance, but now realizes it was a “wonderful idea.”
“Numbers were dwindling up there, so they added a 5K, and it brought a lot of runners in,” Ostroot said. “If you’re in reasonable condition, you can run and walk and get a 5K done quickly.”
The most memorable FYGBR for Ostroot was the second year of the event, when chamber officials had to shorten the 10K distance due to wind chills of 70 degrees below zero.
“I’ve seen videos of the race, and it looks like we’re running on Neptune,” Ostroot said. “There’s wind and snow blowing across, and you see a figure come out of it, and you can’t even see their face.”
Despite dangerously low wind chills some years, Ostroot said he couldn’t recall a time when a runner was injured due to the cold weather.
“People come ready to run in the cold, they’ve done it and they know about it,” Ostroot said. “I’ve always felt if you run outside in the fall and winter, the FYGBR isn’t a shock to your system.”
What brings Ostroot back year after year for the FYGBR is the feeling of coming home and seeing old friends and running buddies, he said. Even though he left the area 20 years ago, he said there’s always people to reconnect with.
“There’s a group of runners coming every year from all over, and we see each other one time a year at this race,” Ostroot said.
A group of runners from Winnipeg used to have gimmicks or themed costumes when they’d run the race, Ostroot said. The most notable was the year they showed up in full business suits, complete with ties, attaché cases and running shoes, Ostroot said, under the theme “we mean business.”
“There were two guys ahead of me running with attaché cases, and I’m thinking, ‘there’s no way they can beat me carrying those things,’” Ostroot said. “But they did. I never caught them.”
Background
A runner in high school and college, Ostroot said he began running regularly again during his first year teaching in southern Minnesota in the early 1960s, after a brief, post-college hiatus. At 74 years old now, he’s been running regularly for the better part of 50 years.
As a difficult endeavor, Ostroot said it can be tough to love running from time to time.
“What do I enjoy about running?” Ostroot said. “At times, nothing, when it’s not going well. But when it’s going well, it’s such a nice feeling.”
Running gives him a sense of freedom, and of freedom of movement, Ostroot said. When he’s out running a trail, in summer or winter, that’s when he’s having the most fun.
“I just feel like a part of nature, a part of the woods, when it’s calm and quiet,” Ostroot said. “It’s a nice feeling that I can still do it, and I’m doing something most people can’t or don’t do.”
That freedom is part of the reason Ostroot eschews running on a treadmill, and prefers instead to run outdoors year-round.
“I used to own a treadmill, but I seldom used it,” Ostroot said. “It’s just so boring, I like to go outside.”
At his peak, when he was training for marathons, Ostroot said he would run 40-50 miles per week, and his biggest week ever was 76 miles. Now, he’s scaled back considerably, but still puts in 10-12 miles per week.
His race preparation now centers around being able to run the full distance, regardless of pace, Ostroot said. Instead of running a specific distance in training, he’ll run for a certain amount of time.
“When I was younger I would do pace work, intervals, and speed training,” Ostroot said. “Now it’s about knowing I can do it and be alright at the finish. Time is really irrelevant.”
Ostroot said he can’t exactly recall his personal record for the FYGBR, but his best 10K time for the race was a little over 40 minutes. His pace may have slowed over the years, but he still topped the more than 70-year-old and over male age group at last year’s 5K.
For now, the FYGBR is the only race Ostroot runs every year, he said.
“It’s the only one where I figure if I can run it, I will run it,” Ostroot said.
When Boise Inc. announced in May 2013 it would eliminate 265 jobs at its International Falls paper mill, panic set in.
It was unknown at that time how the layoffs would impact not only Boise employees and their families, but other businesses.
However, the panic subsided and people instead focused on how to restore and maintain the local economy. A committee of local, state and federal elected officials teamed up with community leaders and formed response teams to leverage all available resources to help individuals and businesses.
From those response teams, Voyage Forward was born.
The Voyage Forward initiative seeks to secure the future of International Falls and Koochiching County. The effort kicked off in October, attracting more than 50 people ready to volunteer their time and effort to make a difference.
Fast forward three months and strides are being made, say organizers.
Last week, consultants with Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, one of the world’s leading commercial real estate advisory firms, assessed the strengths and weaknesses of Koochiching County and how it compares to a global market.
The consultants said they were pleased with what they saw, after meeting with about 150 people in several Koochiching County communities and Fort Frances.
“This is the best practice we’ve seen,” said Robert Hess, NGKF executive managing director, consulting. “It’s rare you come into a small community and there are already so many people engaged, focused and organized into ‘SWAT’ teams and task forces to work on so many different issues.”
During last week’s visit, which will be the first of an expected three, Hess said it was just a kickoff to what’s to come.
“We have some excellent partners here that have been involved early on,” he said of Voyage Forward volunteers. “We have some champions to carry this cause...This isn’t only going to be a city of International Falls initiative, it’s going to be rural, too...It all matters.”
What we need, what we have
Gregg Wassmansdorf, NGKF senior managing director, consulting, said a framework of success will develop based on tools the area has and can acquire.
“We’ll look at what tools and capabilities this area has that allow local businesses to grow and thrive, but also be catalysts to attract new investment,” Wassmansdorf said.
Local businesses, he said, include big, medium and small businesses in all areas of Koochiching County as well as Fort Frances.
“What’s good for Fort Frances, is good for Northome,” Hess said. “I think sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of that.”
Consultants split up last week; some crossed international waters and met with people on the Canadian side, while others traveled down Highway 71 to meet with people living in the more rural areas of the county.
“This is a small market competing in a global economy,” Wassmansdorf said. “How does Koochiching County and Fort Frances represent itself to the world from a marketing point of view?”
Hess said meeting with different people helped consultants determine what kind of environment needs to be created to allow people to prosper. The experts will consider how to help create opportunity and new economic value.
At the same time, he said existing businesses won’t be put on the back burner. Of those businesses, Hess and the team will consider what needs to be nurtured, leveraged and positioned for the future.
“It’s not all rosy, but with the right ideas, we can really make something happen here,” he said.
Job creation
Hess said the firm’s efforts are about creating jobs, investment, helping businesses flourish and creating a good public and private sector partnership.
While at this point the vision may be big, the men stressed it needs to be applied and realistic.
“A key part of making this strategy effective is saying, ‘no,’” Wassmansdorf said. “We can’t do everything. We have limited time, a limited budget, limited people and limited resources.”
Hess echoed his colleague’s comments adding there might be a top 10 list developed during the assessment.
“Some ideas will be short term, some will be long term,” he said. “Some will require investment, while others are quick hits.”
The men agreed it is easy to let excitement build up, only to end up collecting dust over time. This initiative likely won’t be the case, they said.
“We are teaching strategies that have been done for decades and decades,” Hess said. “And they’ve worked. A big part is just educating people.”
Looking ahead
With or without NGKF’s help, local leaders and volunteers have a long road ahead.
“People need to have the right attitude,” Hess said. “They need to accept change and what it means.”
Wassmansdorf agreed.
“We can’t market one tiny place,” he said. “People need to focus on this region as a hole. It’ll attract more attention...Priorities will be set based on what can be influenced and what can be controlled.”
The men said before leaving the area this time, they told people involved to continue thinking outside the box.
“People need to continue talking to each other,” Wassmansdorf said. “They need to galvanize around key issues versus just letting them go. We’ll be back in touch with everyone over time.”
