The Monster Runner Award

The Monster Runner Award is designed to celebrate the runners in our community who excel in race finishes, overcome personal challenges, run personal bests, contribute to a better life for those around them, and go far beyond their comfort zone to find something special within.

Lonn Robertson is like many of us in the running community – he didn’t start early in life as a runner. Once Lonn laced up his shoes and headed out the door however, he not only became a top competitor, but his inspiration became a source of community pride. Lonn moved with his family to Creswell shortly after birth, graduated from Oregon State University, spent some time (18 years) in his adult life in Alaska, and returned home to Creswell to continue his dentistry practice a decade ago, where he says he truly loves being. Lonn’s immediate family includes his wife Lynn (a 5th Grade teacher at Creswell Elementary), his son Zach (an officer in the Coast Guard) and his daughter Jessie (a sophomore at LCC, a basketball player and track & field throwing specialist).

If you’ve been around the race scene in the area for a while, you know Lonn from his high age group finishes and his warm personality (he’s always happy to share his stories and find out about yours). Lonn started running in Barrow, Alaska, when the only exercise available WAS running. It wasn’t until 2005 however, that he began running seriously, to help a friend train for a marathon and found that he’d done enough training himself to run one. After he completed the Newport Marathon in 2006, he was on his way, and 15 marathon and ultra-marathons later, he’s still going strong. At 53, after focused training for 3 ½ years, Lonn now boasts a marathon PR of 3:17 (set in Eugene & New York), and has his sights set on a 3:10 at the Boston Marathon this April.

For the past few years, Lonn has been instrumental in spearheading the Creswell Running Club, getting runners of all ages and abilities together to get out and stay fit – “At the very least,” says Lonn, “It takes a family and I believe it takes a community of interdependence and connectedness.” As part of that endeavor, Lonn’s organization of the annual Jingle Bells Run in Creswell, which benefits the Creswell Food Bank, and his managing of the Run For The Kids, has been a labor of love which continues to reinforce the importance of community and helps bring his town together for a common purpose. Recently, Lonn provided his local running contingent with a quality training experience for the upcoming marathon season, hosting the Donald Davis Half Marathon and 8 Mile events in Creswell – free of charge.

Lonn says he draws the greatest inspiration from the individuals within the running community itself. When you run with others, he says, you not only share the human experience, but you also provide accountability. His advice to beginning runners: “Find a friend to run with – it makes it enjoyable and it’s easier to commit to it when you know someone else is counting on you.”

Lonn’s commitment to his community extends far beyond the arena of running, as his closing comments give rise to the importance of investing in our future: “There is a wonderful tradition among the mightiest warriors of Africa, the Masai. When they meet, they always exchange the greeting: “kasserian ingera”, which means, “And how are the children?” You see, if the children in the tribe are doing well, then the world is in its right place and things are good. I am a child of this tribe. And there are many, much more important, children growing up behind me. Through our nurturing and caring and loving those that we know and those that we will get to know, we become interdependent and connected. When we greet them and greet each other, we are in effect asking the question: How are the children?” Thanks Lonn, for helping us stay connected and running on solid ground.