Walter and Amy Lindahl didn’t expect any fanfare on their drive home from Rochester on the evening of Dec. 18, but the Bemidji Police and Fire Departments provided exactly that.
The Bemidji Fire Department held its annual Relief Association Recognition Dinner on Saturday, Feb. 18, for the first time in several years after being postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
While Friday played host to kids’ fun runs and 5k and 10k races, Saturday presented the event's mainstays: the half marathon, 26k lake loop and the 26.2-mile full marathon.
When the Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon weekend kicked off Friday evening, runners could be seen sporting their typical activewear to race along Lake Bemidji. But a distinctive pair stood out amongst the many tennis shoes and moisture-wicking polyester of the runners. Clad in full firefighter uniform and gear was Bemidji firefighter Kelly McDonald and Lakeport firefighter Elias Carlson, who ran the 5K race in support of Bemidji firefighter Walter Lindahl, who is in need of a double lung transplant.