Hall of Fame for Turena Johnson Lane

Congratulations to  1993 Brainerd High School graduate, Turena Johnson Lane,  who will be inducted into the Luther College Athletic Hall of Fame . The inductees are honored for their achievements in college sports, professional careers and community leadership.  Turena hit the athletic scene in Brainerd after I was done coaching Boys and Girls Cross-County, but I have followed her career since she had and has proven her potential. 

     Among other successes she has been a nine-time All-American, five time National Champion, won the USA Track and Field 20K National Championship in 2005 and the 25K in 2006.  She qualified for 2 Olympic marathon trials and in 2005 the IIAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland where she was the first American finisher, placing 26th with a time of 2:34.43.

                                                                                                                 photo by innusa 

      " Since I’ve moved to Miami, this (running) is what I’m doing for the moment. For the two years that we were living in Indiana, I started my own business doing professional organizing for people- going into people’s homes and helping them sort through the stresses in their lives and helping them to simplify their lifestyle, and reducing the amount of clutter that they have. It really can be debilitating for people; it really can be a serious issue. When people learn to let go, they really learn how much their stuff is weighing them down. Hopefully, after the marathon, in Miami I’ll be able to do a little bit more of that, there’s been one thing on the plate, and that seems to be enough." i ~interview excerpt of Turena

     Lane and her husband now live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Todd is an assistant track and field coach at Louisiana State University.

     Brainerd is proud of you, Turena, keep on running.