| Mike Jungbauer to run in Medtronic marathon as a Global Hero |
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| Wednesday, 01 October 2008 | ||
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Staff writer
Jungbauer, 50, is one of 25 runners from all over the world that Medtronic chose to be a Global Hero in its Twin Cities Marathon race Oct. 5. Another 50-year-old man named Alberto Salazar is the honorary captain of the 2008 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. Salazar’s marathon career was in the early 1980s. The marathon starts at 8 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 5 near the Metrodome in Minneapolis and finishes at the State Capitol in St. Paul. There will be other races and activities taking place this weekend. For more on the event, go to www.mtcmarathon.org. According to Ginny Cassidy, spokesperson for Medtronic, the company sent out press releases and published articles in running publications to get the word out that they were looking for prospective Global Heroes. Candidates filled out an online application with their personal story and medical device they use to become nominated. Cassidy said 150 people from all over the world filled out an online application. According to Jungbauer, Medtronic would be donating $1,000 to the charity of choice for each Global Hero. He asked Medtronic to donate his $1,000 to a medical company working on back injuries, Jungbauer said. Jungbauer first injured his back in March 1988 when he was carrying a couple hundred pound bumper of a truck. He got a herniated disc that would not heal. In September 1989, he was mowing his lawn and fell over and could not get up. He went to a physical therapist and discovered his herniated disc was broken in nine places. Jungbauer had surgery to remove the herniated disc. His medical problems did not end here. In 1999, he was rear ended while sitting at a red light in Spring Lake Park and hurt his neck. In 2002 while helping to build a house, a roof truss slipped out of someone’s hands and dropped on the back of Jungbauer’s neck. In both cases, Jungbauer had surgery to implant bone graft and a titanium plate in his cervical area. Jungbauer said four to five years ago, he was on heavy pain medication, but this past year he has not had to take the Vicodin he used to take. There is still pain for Jungbauer. He hurt his back shoveling wet snow and when he is running or biking, he still feels pain, but if not for his surgeries, he knows he would be much worse off. “I don’t believe I’d be doing what I’m doing if not for modern medical research,” Jungbauer said. Before his injuries, he ran in four marathons, which are runs of 26.2 miles. He has not run a marathon since 1986 because after his back surgery, his doctor told him he probably would not be able to run anymore. He decided to become active again because he was gaining weight and found he was still in pain. A few years ago, Jungbauer began eating healthier and exercising on a regular basis, gradually building up what he could do. That first year he trained to run a 5K race, which is 3.1 miles. The next year, he ran a half-marathon or 13.1 miles. Last year, he ran and biked 21 miles across Senate District 48 and he did it again this year, extending it to 22 miles. This year on Sept. 6 he ran from the East Bethel Fire Station to Elk River Lions Park and then biked back. Like every runner, Jungbauer has his good days and bad days, but he now makes sure to bike and run 50 miles each week in order to stay in shape. Whether or not he is running or biking on a given day, he stretches for an hour each day. If he fails to stretch, the pain starts creeping into his body by late morning. With a grandchild born two months ago, Jungbauer said it is important to him to be in good shape so he can play with his grandchild. Eric Hagen is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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