Guest commentary: It's a run and so much more

An avid runner, I have participated in a lot of 5K runs over the years. The Cloquet Sawdust 5K may be one of the hardest ones I have ever done, but it’s also one of the best. With its killer hills and hot humid conditions that always come on the Fourth of July, the Sawdust is the race that runners love to hate.

What is it about the Sawdust that brings more than 400 people to the starting line at 8 a.m. on a holiday? What is it that made me turn down an invitation to an out-of-town barbeque without even a second thought because I planned to run the Sawdust? This year, I consciously took everyth...