At age 45, Bob Kierlin started running.

He’d been taking his 10-year-old daughter to run in short road races when the idea hit him: “Why not participate myself instead of waiting at the finish line?” He grew to love the competition, even though he usually finished in the back half of the pack. What mattered was getting better, not being the best.

Years later, his daughters asked him what he might want as a memorial someday. His reply? A road race in which all runners get a trophy if they outperform their previous best time. Another stipulation: The proceeds would go to youth organizations.

And with that, the BK5K was born – not as a memorial but something Bob could (and did!) run in himself. Now in its 25th year, the program includes multiple races around the world and annually raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for local youth programs.
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This year’s Winona race will be the first without Bob, but his spirit and vision are running strong.