Strangers call Eden Prairie's Jon Duckstad incredible and inspirational. Who is this mystery man who is always on the run?
Sarah Moran, Star Tribune
August 01, 2006 – 12:55 PM

Jon Duckstad, 71 (Jennifer Simonson , Star Tribune)

There's a good chance you know Jon Duckstad, even though his name might not be familiar.

He's that 72-year-old guy you can find running pretty much every morning around Eden Prairie.

He's become a moving fixture in the city, shuffling along as he listens to his radio, raising his head slightly to wave to passersby. He wears that white tank top in the summer and his trusty blue and red nylon jacket when cold weather hits.

"Winter, spring, summer, fall. He's out there," said Lorie Iverson, an employee at Dunn Bros. Coffee, which is along Duckstad's main route off Hwy. 4. She immediately recognized the runner in question. "I hope I'm like that."

Iverson is just one of Duckstad's admirers, who aren't hard to find. His daily habit seems to have spawned something of a fan club around the city, with members who don't know their inspiration's name.

Count among them Jim Lockman, who lives in a neighborhood along Duckstad's route. Lockman said he sees Duckstad running all the time when he's out in the yard or driving around the community. "He always waves. I take my hat off to him."

Duckstad has started his day with a run for about 35 years, almost without exception.

"I just made a commitment I would run daily," he said. "Maybe that helps people stay a little bit younger, with all that exercise and all that oxygen. So far it hasn't hurt me. I really enjoy it."

When the snow is too deep to run through, "there's always tire tracks you can find," he suggested. He ran when it was 39 degrees below zero and didn't skip a step through the recent string of hot, humid July days.

"It's kind of become a wonderful habit," he said. "It's not an effort to go. It's just automatic."

Duckstad's daily runs last for nearly two hours and cover 7 to 8 miles.

He began running when he lived in St. Paul, where he worked as a public defender (he's now a semi-retired attorney). He had gained a few pounds and heard enough doctors emphasize exercise during workers' compensation claims. "I thought, 'This is no way to live. I think I'm going to get out and exercise and stay in shape,' " he said.

But running was not common in those days, so he kept a low profile by running circles through alleys.

"I didn't want people to think I was crazy," he said.

After Frank Shorter won the 1972 Olympic marathon for the United States, the sport gained popularity, and Duckstad ventured into the streets.

In those days he'd spend the miles thinking about work. He dabbled with a few races including a 5K road race here, a half-marathon there and Grandma's Marathon once. But for most of his years he has run solo and not been competitive.

"When I was younger I wanted to run fast and beat everyone," he said. "When you're younger you don't stop and smell the roses."

Duckstad and his wife, Carole, moved to Eden Prairie four years ago after their four daughters had grown up and moved out.

"As I got older I started to run slower with a view of, 'Why am I in so much of a hurry?' When I started running slower it was more fun, and I found it was no longer a chore, but it was kind of a time to really enjoy," he said.

Today, his runs are more focused on all the nice people he encounters.

"They're so used to me going by, you kind of become part of their neighborhood," he said. "I've had people stop me and talk to me, which is nice."