“We will be one of the smallest schools in Class AA, but are excited about a new challenge,” stated Head Coach Jeff Morris of the Yellowjackets.  “To honor and remember Gabriele Anderson Grunewald, we will ask all teams to have their athletes warmup 14 minutes 5 seconds before their races, then post team pictures on social media with the hashtags #BraveLikeGabe #RunningOnHope.  After the last varsity race, runners are invited to participate in a cooldown to honor Abby Anderson.”

Coach Morris also shared this information about this event.

The Brave Like Gabe is a special meet for the Perham family and the entire running community. It is to remember Gabriele Grunewald (2004 Perham XC/Track Alumni), who was once one of the country’s best middle-distance runners and inspired runners and fans with her courageous fight against a rare form of cancer. She died on June 11, 2019, in Minneapolis. Here is an article that about Gabe - https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/blog/inspiring-stories/brave-like-gabe.html. Gabe's passion and legacy are still changing lives with her foundation's ongoing work, which you can visit and donate to - https://www.bravelikegabe.org/. Here is a video you can also share - https://youtu.be/fEcKYPMaPus.

The Brave Like Gabe will also honor Gabe's sister, Abby Anderson, who was tragically killed being struck by a drunk driver on August 14th, 2021. Abby also ran cross country & track in Perham from 5th grade on up and was a part of multiple state teams. In track, she had a 4x8 state relay title plus a runner-up finish in the 1600m run. Like her older sister, Anderson was an avid runner and competed on the track and cross-country team for the University of Minnesota. She worked as a nurse for Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis and completed the New York City Marathon in her sister's honor, working with the Brave Like Gabe Organization. Before her passing, she was spending more time working with the foundation, so in honor of both Gabe and Abby, we would like to remember them in our warmup and cooldown for years to come.

Teams involved include Ada-Borup, Barnesville, Bagley, Bemidji, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton, Fargo South, Frazee, Hawley, Hopkins, Lake Park-Audubon, Lakeville South, Little Falls, Moorhead, Northern Freeze, Ottertail Central, Parkers Prairie, Pelican Rapids, Perham, Pequot Lakes, Thief River Falls, United North Central, Wadena-Deer Creek, Willmar and Verndale.