Prairie Striders honor Eggebraaten, Graves as Friends of Running

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Lou Eggebraaten and Dave Graves were recognized as Friends of Running for 2019 and 2020, respectively, by Prairie Striders Running Club at its Farewell to Frost Frolic on April 5 at Wooden Legs Brewing Co. in downtown Brookings.

The club’s annual social gathering and awards event coincided with the start of a monthly group run, which will start and finish at Wooden Legs at 5:30 p.m. Future runs will be on the first Thursday of the month through September.

The 2019 presentation was delayed until this year because COVID-19 precautions shut down social gatherings before the award could be presented.

Eggebraaten, of Brookings, was the first female president of Prairie Striders, serving two one-year terms in 1980 and ’81. Most recently, she served as greeter and coordinator for the club’s 50th anniversary gathering at the South Dakota Art Museum Sept. 28, 2019.

Her involvement with the club began in the late 1970s. 

Charter member Bob Bartling recalls, “Running and jogging had just caught the fancy of the world and we somehow acquired 850-some members. In those days there wasn’t such things as address labels. Those first years we had always enclosed a stamped, return-addressed envelope with our dues notice. Postage was 3 cents. Initially, the mailing was really not a big deal. 

“However, 850 members all of a sudden changed the picture. Lou to the rescue. She knew the mechanics of mailing and even though it still took hours and days to get that mailing out, we did it thanks to Lou.”

She knew the mechanics because, professionally, Eggebraaten was the secretary for the Brookings High School department of student activities and administrative assistant for three athletics directors, serving for 36 years (1970-2006).

Eggebraaten also served as secretary to Longest Day Marathon director Scotty Roberts after her terms as club president expired. 

Bartling also recalled that Eggebraaten served with Prairie Striders life member Steve Hauff as race directors for the inaugural and short-lived Fall Badlands, a 14.8-mile race sponsored by Wall Drug in October 1979. Bartling was among about 10 Prairie Strider members in the 32-runner field.

About 15 minutes before the starting gun, race sponsor Bill Husted had two waitresses each armed with a tray filled with Wall Drug doughnuts pass among the assembling runners.

“The runners were in such a state of shock that most of them took one in each hand and began gobbling them down. It actually was just another clue as to why the Wall Drug management needed a knowledgeable race director,” Bartling recalled.

In addition to helping with Strider races, Eggebraaten assisted in the organization and administration of local invitational and Eastern South Dakota Athletic Conference cross country and track and field meets hosted by BHS as well as state cross country meets.

Eggebraaten’s service has been honored by local and South Dakota sports organizations.  She received the Bobcat Backers Award of Merit and was inducted to the Brookings High School Sports Hall of Fame. In addition, she is the only administrative assistant whose service was recognized with the Eastern South Dakota Athletics Conference Award of Merit.

Eggebraaten’s employment at Brookings High School coincided with South Dakota High School Activities Association sanctioning of girls’ athletics. BHS hosted many of the early girls’ state tournaments, and she facilitated the management of state tournaments in tennis, golf, cross country and gymnastics as well as the formation of the Alpha V Conference, which was the first girls athletics conference in South Dakota.

Editor’s note: Graves’ selection was announced in the April 7 edition of the Register.