Roseville's Eric Kronback a Marathon Man

After spending all of his high school and college days as a student athlete, Eric Kronback, 36, of Roseville, had to find a way to stay active.
In high school he participated in football and track and field, carrying his gridiron skills to Gustavus Adolphus College.
All was good for Kronback while playing football for the Gusties, but once his playing days came to an end, he had to do something.
“I played about 40 to 50 pounds heavier while I played college football,” he said. “I knew right away that I had to drop some weight.”
Now Kronback is an avid runner and participates in full marathons, most recently the Stillwater Marathon over Memorial Day weekend where he placed third overall with a time of 2:56:16.
It was the first time Kronback made his way to the birthplace of Minnesota to run in the marathon.
“I thought it went well and really enjoyed it,” Kronback said. “I am pretty sure I will run in it again as long as my schedule corresponds with it.
“It was such a nice course to run, too. You got to see a lot of Stillwater with the river and downtown. It can be a tough run, but the views were really nice and made it fun.”
With his track and field background, hitting the pavement was not a daunting task for Kronback. It came natural to him, where some athletes may have trouble going from completely engulfed in rigorous exercise and workouts to otherwise stagnant when athletics are done.
“I’ve been running for a long time with track in high school and on the field throughout college, so the transition was not that hard,” Kronback said. “When I started running a lot after football was done, I really started to enjoy it and just kept going with it.
“Shortly after I started getting involved with marathons and that has been an intriguing test and just another thing I enjoy doing.”
On an annual basis, Kronback tries to do three or four marathons a year.
With most events typically held in the late spring or summer months, Kronback has more time than maybe most others do to train for them.
He is the physical education teacher at St. Anthony Village High School where he has the opportunity to incorporate his interests with his work, informing students of the importance of physical activity.
“I guess I am always around it,” Kronback said. “It is good for me and I get to teach sixth through 12th graders, so it is a great age for it.”
Next on the list of marathons is the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn. for Kronback on Saturday. This is another course, similar to Stillwater, where participants get a chance to run a scenic downtown route.
“It is pretty comparable to the Stillwater Marathon,” Kronback said. “Both cities have a great history in their downtown areas and are just fun to run in.”
In October, as long as his schedule permits, Kronback will register for the Boston Marathon, considered the oldest marathon in the world.
He has qualified for it with his recent finishes and will get a chance to run with some of the best marathon runners in the world.
The Boston Marathon is not scheduled until April 16, 2012, but with participants coming from all over the globe, registration begins a littler earlier than most.
“We will see come October if it works,” Kronback said. “I qualified for it and really want to do it, so hopefully it will work out.”
A finish similar to what he did in Stillwater would also be a nice touch to begin next spring as well.