Each year, the Brimson Sisu features an animal or element as the theme for the race’s t-shirt. This year, the 44th annual event, the selection may have felt like a no-brainer. The 4.4 mile race, which raises funds for the Brimson Area Volunteer Fire Department (BAVFD), will feature “Fire” as a nod to the Brimson Complex Fires that tore through the area in May.
“The designs that I have that the artist is working on are pretty cool,” said organizer Bill Zwak. “It’ll be a good shirt.”
This is Zwak’s sixth year leading the event. He took over from longtime volunteers Lynn Bogey and Diane Dickey, both Brimson residents and BAVFD members. Though he’s enjoyed the role, Zwak recently announced this will be his last year as organizer. He is transitioning into a new position as Activities Director at Duluth East High School.
“That’s taking up more of my summertime than I expected it to,” he explained. “I just had less time to do the tough stuff for this race, which is why I need to say this is my last year.”
Zwak has someone in mind who might take over, depending on how this year goes. After some on-the-job training during the event, they will make a final decision.
The Brimson Sisu rotates its venue each year, and this time it returns to a favorite: Hugo’s Bar.
“It’s good all around for where it is and what we can do for the racecourse,” said Zwak. “It’s good for the space that we have there. It’s good for the fact that the Brimson Market will be there in the morning also. Then of course Jesse and Jessica, who own Hugo’s, are super generous with their time, efforts, and facility.”
Raising funds for the BAVFD is always important, but this year it feels especially vital in light of the recent fires.
“We want the donations to be higher or as high as we can this year due to the value that the Fire Department showed this year with the forest fires,” said Zwak. “I hope that people recognize the service that they provide and help.”
Zwak encourages people to participate in the race either in person or virtually, or even to register as a way to donate.
“I think awareness is up now, hopefully,” he said. “Even if people don’t want to do the race, they can at least sign up. They don’t have to run it. They could sign up for the virtual race if they want, which is still an option we started during COVID. Or they could just donate. There is a donate button on the website too, if they want to send some money their way.”
Zwak believes Brimson showed a lot of sisu during the fires. The Finnish word refers to grit, resilience, bravery, and determination.
“I think it has brought the community together there,” he said. “There are certainly people who lost their structures. There were a lot of structures that were saved because of the efforts of the firefighters, but of course there were a lot that were lost too. The whole community is rallying around them for sure.”
Additional fundraising for those affected by the fires will be available at the event, including #brimsonstrong t-shirts and other opportunities to help.
Anyone interested in volunteering at the Brimson SISU can contact Zwak at brimsonsisu1@gmail.com.
“We’ll take anybody and everybody,” said Zwak. “Work the finish line, work the leaderboard, help with parking, help work the raffle tables and the food tent and cooking. Usually, it’s the Zwak crew. It’s my family and my extended family that helps out, plus some other friends that I have come up. Then of course the fire department does a lot too. They bring people to the race to help out. But we can always use other people. Even if they want to make a pan of bars we can sell, know that we’ll do that too.”
This year’s Brimson Sisu will take place on Saturday, August 16, with the race beginning at 10 a.m. Online registration at runsignup.com
