Boren, Lundstrom, Polson Named Runners of the Year

Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier Jenna Boren, Pan American Games marathon 6th place finisher Chris Lundstrom, and former Golden Gopher Jeremy Polson were named 2007 USATF-Minnesota Runners of the Year based on standings compiled by the Minnesota Running Data Center.

Awards were confered at the Minnesota Distance Running Association annual party last Saturday.

Boren won the open women's division with 82 points accumulated throughout 2007 in races ranging from 5K to the marathon. Nicole Cueno was second with 77 points. Erin Ward was third with 71.

Lundstrom and Polson tied for the men's title with 85 points. Pat Russell was third with 83 points.

Full Runner of the Year standings, including those in age-group competition, can be found HERE.

Also ... Receiving awards last Saturday along with the Runner's of the Year and MDRA's Grand Prix winners -- HERE -- were contributors to the sport Tim Zbikowski and John Cramer and his family.

Zbikowski was awarded the Pat Lanin Distinguished Service Award for decades of contributions to the running community. Zbikowski might be best known as the organizing force behind the Minnesota Track and Field Hall of Fame. The former MDRA president is also the co-director of the Meet of Miles and a former Twin Cities Marathon board member.

Cramer and family were named Volunteers of the Year for their work organizing the Como Relays, the popular, weekly, late-summer event-series in St. Paul. The family faced extra challenges in 2007 after a storm blew down dozens of trees on the course.