The first time Wayne Bernau ran Grandma’s Marathon with one of his nine children, he and son Josh agreed they’d stay by each other’s side while padding toward Canal Park.
“We were together the first 25 miles,” Wayne said, starting to chuckle as he recalled how Josh, then 14, pulled away near the end of the 1996 marathon.
Youthful legs.
All these years later, perhaps the most vivid memory of that Grandma’s Marathon isn’t the Bernaus’ finishing times — Josh came through in 4 hours, 3 minutes and 14 seconds, ahead of 41-year-old Wayne’s 4:04:31. No, it’s the buildup, the hours spent clicking off miles, father and son pursuing a goal.
“As far as moments that I share with my dad — he and I are very close to each other, a lot of mutual respect — I really feel like that marathon training bonded us, doing a lot of the runs together,” said Josh, now 37 and a pastor living in Norwood Young America.
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Running always has connected this sweeping family. And it will once again on Saturday during the 43rd annual Grandma’s.
Wayne, 64, and five of his kids, plus a future daughter-in-law, are among the more than 20,000 entrants over three weekend races. Josh and two of his siblings — sister Becky and brother Stephen — are doing the full 26.2-miler. Wayne is entered in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon with his sons, Joseph and Jeremiah, and Stephen’s fiance, Paige Miller.
So when the patriarch says he has “a bit of a running family,” it’s akin to Henry Ford saying he had “a bit of an automotive family.”
“It’s just an amazing thing that we have been given, that gift to have children that want to share their God-given abilities and enjoy running so much,” said the brood’s mother, Donna, who will try to keep tabs on her pack from the course sidelines Saturday morning.
The next day, Wayne and Donna, who reside in Courtland, Minn., will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary in Norwood Young America.
Of their nine offspring, six are serious distance runners. But it was never something that Wayne forced on them. He didn’t take up the sport until college and became drawn to its inclusiveness. People of all ages and skill levels can run. Once hooked, the camaraderie is almost impossible to replicate.
The kids saw their father running and picked it up “naturally,” said Donna, herself an avid walker. And they’ve kept at it into adulthood. Becky has completed two marathons and 19 half-marathons. Stephen, meanwhile, is the fastest of the bunch with a personal-best marathon time of 2:47:12. He ran Boston in 2018.
Josh, the second-oldest, was the first to start chasing after his father. In 1996, the plan was to enter the Bjorklund, but they missed that registration.
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“I said, ‘Well, Josh, what do you think about running the whole thing?’ ” Wayne remembers.
Josh’s response: “Let’s give it a shot.”
They initially had it in mind to shoot for 3:45, but the best-laid plans don’t always pan out over 26.2 miles of putting one foot in front of the other.
Becky was a spectator that year. The wheels were turning as she tracked their progress.
“I think I was 9 when I watched my dad and brother run Grandma’s together,” Becky said. “I always thought it would be cool to do something like that, but I was like, ‘Well, I’m not a runner. I can’t ever do that.’ ”
That changed in 2012 when Becky did her first 5K.
She admits that Grandma’s has “special significance” for the Bernau clan. There are stories here, memories. Like ’96 when Donna had her hands full toting a passel of kids around town, including their youngest, Samuel, who was celebrating his first birthday with a case of chicken pox.
Wayne made his Grandma’s debut June 17, 1989, a day after his and Donna’s 10th anniversary. And the event helped to inspire the family’s lifelong love affair with running. It’s something they share whenever the opportunity arises.
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“We get together at least once a year, usually at Christmastime,” Becky said. “And we always make sure we get in a sibling or family run. It’s one of those things that no matter where we are, we can get together and go for a run and catch up on what’s happening in life.”
Not all nine are runners. According to Stephen, James, who falls fourth in the age pecking order, is the proud owner of a sticker, styled after the popular “26.2” decals, that reads “0.0.”
One thing all nine of them do share, though, is their faith.
“We’re not just a running family. We’re a ministry-oriented family,” Josh said.
Josh ties the two passions together with one of his favorite quotes, one that aptly captures his affinity for running. It comes from “Chariots of Fire.” One of the film’s main characters is an Olympian who says God made him fast.
“He said — and this is my favorite thing to say about running — ‘When I run, I feel His pleasure.’ For me, that’s what I feel,” Josh said. “It’s so natural for me to run. I run everywhere.”
He’s not alone. Most of his siblings feel the exact same way. It’s what they do, one of the ways they bond. Mom and dad are both grateful for that.
“My parents have done a lot of really great things in their lives, but I can just tell that their kids are their pride and joy,” Stephen said. “And being able to see their kids connect over something, it just makes them beam.”
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They’ll have plenty to beam about Saturday morning.
