The first ever UMTR AwardsFest Banquet was held in November of 2008. That first year’s event included a panel of speakers including Andy and Kim Holak, Carl Gammon and Tom Burr. Awards were given to participants in the Fab 50 and MN Trail Series, Vasque had a table (they sought shoe testers for 2009), and the first Trail Person and Trail Runner of the Year awards were devised and given out. There were 60 UMTR members then, and no Facebook to connect them. And one more little tidbit: the UMTR board was already tossing around the idea of a Race Series to include only 100s.
The 7th Annual UMTR AwardsFest Banquet was held on November 22. We officially counted over 80 folks in attendance, but the numbers were higher as several slid in without getting a check next to their name. We moved the venue to a more central location in the heart of Minneapolis and also enjoyed a little more elbowroom.
During the evening, we enjoyed a running photo show created by Shane Olson. Board Members Chris Rubesch, Adam Schwartz-Lowe and Bill Pomerenke superbly spoke, shared a few stories and delivered awards. Our guest speaker, Jordan Hanlon, shared his 2014 Grand Slam journey, along with some pre-ultra autobiography. Awards this year were the creations of Larry Pederson, John Storkamp, and Julio Salazar. Many thanks to board member Paulette Odenthal for her courageous and tireless efforts to make certain that this year’s Banquet was a success.
