Bill Andberg, the Gray Ghost of Anoka's Halloween 5K of the same name, died Tuesday at age 96.
Andberg was a member of the Minnesota Track and Field Hall of Fame as well as the USA Track and Field Masters Hall of Fame. Among his exploits after taking up running at age 55 was a world age-best 18:33 5K as a 65-year-old.
The Star-Tribune has a nice story about Andberg HERE.
A memorial service for Andberg will be held Sunday at 3 p.m. at the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis, 900 Mount Curve Avenue, Minneapolis.
1977...Stillwater Lumberjack Days 8-miler (1975 to 1978) was my first "long" (>10k) road race. Like a typical neophyte I went out way too hard and fell apart the last 2 miles. I remember "the guy with gray and white hair" rolling past the last 1/2 mile, which left me feeling somewhat ashamed until I learned the lineage of that fellow...one Bill Andberg. Over the years I got to retell that story to him while accepting the Anoka Gray Ghost 5k trophy a few times. He was ahead of his time, as 65 year old road racers in the 1970's were about as common as guys older than Mr. Lloyd Young (to be 85 on 7-18-08) today. Prosperous life and a humble man!!
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