Photo ID Bio: The Grey Ghost

When I moved to Minnesota in 1972 the thing that impressed me most about the area was the inclusivness of the Minnesota distance running community.  There was an abundance of top level runners of high school, college, and post graduate ages, some of whom would become very influential people in the running world. The "glue" that held the Minnesota distance running community  together, however, were the Masters.  They were masters in every sense of the word. They dominated US Masters distance running and imparted their knowledge, enjoyment, and enthusiasm fro the sport to the younger runners.

One of the them was Dr. William Andberg, an Anoka veterinarian who had a multitude of nicknames.  Bill, of course. Bullet Bill for his ability to sprint at the end of distance races, and the Flying Finn for his ethnic heritage and running ability that produced more than 30 US and World Masters records.  But the nickname that stuck was that of the Grey(the UK spelling of gray, which is used inerchangably with grey in the US) Ghost.  It was a particularly fitting moniker because it conveyed the wit and humor Andberg had in abundance.

Andberg displaying his sense of humor
with the lapel button that reads: I Did It in Goteborg.
Photo by Jim Ferstle

He got the name because he had the habit of running through the cemetary in Anoka in an attempt to avoid attention and, punch line here for a vet, to get away from dogs.  Some women saw this old guy in shorts and a T-shirt running past the headstones and called the police. "They thought I was an escapee from the state hospital,'' Andberg said. "I'm the Grey Ghost because I run in the cemetery to remind myself that I'm above the tombstones, not below.''

The other irony of his choice of running routes was that he had a joy for life that was infectious.  He worked as a vet until he was 88.  In addition to running he had a passion for other sports including pole valuting as a high schooler, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, golf, and bowling.  And he was good at all of them.  His skills were not limited to athletics as he also sang and played the violin. Even when he was standing still his mind was doing mental gymnastics inventing humorous takes on what had or was happening around him.

Though he ran 35 marathons it was not his favorite sporting activity, inviting one of his legendary quips: “Dick Beardsley says he can remember every mile. I can only remember when I started, when I finished and when I vomited.”

His athletic endeavors got him inducted into several Hall of Fames, but the lasting memory for many is what he gave back to one of the sports he enjoyed.  He was the founder of the annual Gray Ghost Run in Anoka during Haloween week.  Instead of buying trophies for the winners, he donated trophies he had won during his career, thus giving the winners not just another piece of wood and metal, but a link to the past.

Andberg died in 2007 at the age of 96 having led a full and, probably for him, too short life.  He squeezed everything he could out of the time he had.

Bill Andberg with Emily Lanin sharing memories.