Road Race Company Aims to Resurrect the Jon Francis Foundation Half Marathon

A Minneapolis-based road race company is attempting to resurrect the Jon Francis Foundation Half Marathon in the Stillwater area.

Up Tempo Race Management announced this week that they have signed a deal with the Jon Francis Foundation to develop and manage a half marathon and 8K race, tentatively set to debut at Square Lake Park in September 2012.

The Jon Francis Foundation Half Marathon and 8K was previously a part of the in 2009 and 2010.

David Francis, the Jon Francis Foundation's founder, cut ties with St. Croix Events following the 2010 race after a payment dispute with Dave Eckberg, according to a Feb. 9 Star Tribune article. The bill for volunteer hours was paid to the foundation nine months after the race.

Below is a snippet written by David Francis about his son's search and rescue effort:

“On Saturday morning, July 15, 2006, Jon Francis, climbed to the summit of the Grand Mogul, in the Sawtooth Mountain Range of Central Idaho. He never returned. Law enforcement searched for only 29 hours. After the evening search team briefing, on July 17, 2006, the Incident Commander, approached me and said; ‘David, you need to give your son up to the mountain.’

Feeling helpless and abandoned the Francis family gathered that evening as a family and committed to continue the search. We knew very little about mountain climbing or search and rescue, but we would learn and utilize the hundreds of volunteers who were streaming into Idaho to find Jon.

While I relentlessly pursued the search for my son, I also made wonderful discoveries about him. Jon Francis was a remarkable young man. He touched and inspired others. He loved deeply and was deeply loved.”

The purpose of the event is to honor the memory of Jon Francis, raise awareness of their mission and raise funds for their important work in promoting wilderness safety, loss prevention and legal rights for missing adults, Kris Kuhn, owner of Up Tempo Race Management said.

More details of the event will be posted as they are made available.