The Washington state Senate today [Monday] honored the founder of Spokane’s annual Bloomsday Run.
Sen. Andy Billig [D-Spokane] sponsored a resolution in honor of Don Kardong, who created the 12-kilometer road race in 1977. The event draws tens of thousands of runners downtown on the first Sunday morning in May.
“There are so many people that train for Bloomsday and use it as their health and training goal. But even more important, it’s about community," Billig said. "It’s a time when people get together. They get together to train. They get together to race. They get together to walk. They get together to cheer for each other. It’s really a special time in Spokane.”
Kardong retired as Bloomsday race director after last year’s event. He was a fourth place finisher in the marathon at the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympic Games.