Linda began running in April 1977. She was discouraged by her lack of physical activity and fitness level. After talking it over with her husband Dave, he suggested they try running. It started modest she says, "running a half a mile to the sapling down the road." It was quite the struggle for her, made no easier by the fact she was running in tennis shoes (running shoes were not available for women then.) "I thought I was going to die!" But being a goal-oriented person who is quite competitive within herself, she continued to run, eventually switching to the only running shoes on the market--men’s. That summer she competed in her first road race, the Super Blue 10K. She remembers how sunny, hot and humid it was, and is not sure if there was even a water stop. According to Linda, "there were maybe five women in the entire race." Still, she loved it! When her husband did a marathon that fall, she was completely hooked. Linda knew this was what she wanted to do and by the fall of 1978, she competed in her first marathon, the Skylon Marathon held in the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area.

A lot has changed since Linda’s first running efforts. She no longer runs in tennis or men’s running shoes. The sapling that was once her half mile marker is now a full-grown tree. Running a half a mile now is not even a warm up for her, as she currently logs 45-55 miles per week between running and walking. The streets, roads, trails and beaches are covered with runners now, men AND women and at almost any given time of the day or night.

Staying motivated to run more than 25 years after she first began is easy for Linda. Running and overall fitness make her feel good and she recognizes that it keeps one young, both on the inside and out. It also offers her a social outlet and she has made many friends over the years. When she needs a little solitude to clear her head, she just goes for a run or walk which benefits both her body and mind.

Preferring 5K races and marathons (which she realizes is an odd combination) she has recorded personal bests including a 20:17 5K at the Empire State Games and 3:35:59 at the Columbus Marathon, which qualified her for Boston. Although she has not done a great deal of racing lately, she still enjoys it and especially looks forward to the Freihofer Women’s Run in Albany, the New York City Marathon and the Syracuse Festival of Races.

Linda believes in giving back to the community and others. Since beginning her involvement with the Chargers she has served as a volunteer in nearly every capacity imaginable. She has assisted with registration, ordering shirts, packet stuffing, pulling race numbers, helping injured runners to aid stations and more. You name it and chances are she has done it. She has also served as Volunteer Coordinator and Social Coordinator. It is the hard work of volunteers such as Linda that makes the Chargers events run so smoothly, providing a great time for all. She volunteers because she loves to help others and knows that it requires a lot of people to make a race possible. It is icing on the cake that Linda has been rewarded for all her hard work on numerous occasions. She has received both the Volunteer Service Award and the Overall Outstanding Contribution Award from the Chargers. Additionally, Linda was instrumental in getting the 3K Fun and Fitness Run/Walk started as part of the Syracuse Festival of Races. By doing so, she was presented with the YMCA Community Fitness Award given to a volunteer who has given back to the community in the area of physical fitness.

A native of Brooklyn, Linda has been living in Syracuse for over 30 years. She and Dave have three children, Matthew and twin daughters Krissie and Katie (fondly referred to as the "Special K’s.") She likes watching them compete in their sporting events. Linda also enjoys travel and is an avid reader. An elementary teacher in the ES-M district for 27 years, she loves teaching and it shows as she has been named to the Who’s Who Among American Teachers three times, with the nominations coming from former students who were named to the Who’s Who Among High School or College students.

Linda Gruhlich

October, 2003