GREEN BAY – Though the Bellin Run draws thousands of participants each year, a small group of about 20 runners has a long history of participating that spans the entire career of the Bellin Run.
One runner in particular, John Klika, said that he is thrilled to continue his streak of never missing a Bellin Run.
“It's really kind of guided me in a healthy way through my life. I mean I've gone full circle from being a 14-year-old kid to now. I just retired last year from Marquette University, so it's kind of gone through my whole cycle of life,” said Klika.
“It sounds corny, but I think that the Bellin Run is probably the single most impactful contribution to a healthy lifestyle in Green Bay. Most people in the area have either done it, been motivated by it or supported a family member or friend in that lifestyle, and to have something foundational like that in Green Bay that has had a lasting impact is so important,” said Klika.
“Making a healthy lifestyle simple to incorporate into your life is probably the most critical. If you look at the Bellin Run right now, I mean they will do everything free of charge so it's not a financial issue to help you get healthy. The accessibility and keeping it in front of people makes it easier to take on fitness as a lifestyle. You can use the resources of the Bellin Run for any issue that you have you know yourself because you know you can go on the website or follow them socially,” said Klika.
Klika said that the way he found out about the Bellin Run was more of a happy accident than anything.
“I'm basically just being like any kid playing on a summer day with my friends and my friend Lee Rowan and I were just hanging around. I grew up two blocks from where they started the Bellin Run and we were just being kids on our bikes and I saw that being organized ran home and asked my mom if I could do it,” said Klika.
“It was just a pure accident that I stumbled across that and I always ask myself, ‘What if Lee and I were somewhere else in Green Bay riding our bikes instead of right there?’ That was the start of my running. It was literally the first time I ran in my life,” said Klika.
According to Klika, the Bellin Run has been a prominent aspect of his life and has affected more than just his health and fitness.
“It has had a remarkable impact on me — I even proposed to my wife, Valerie, at the 6 Mile mark while she was walking it. Both of my kids ran the Bellin. They were born in August and December and the first time they came up in strollers with my wife. I have 13 siblings and we were all raised to live a healthy lifestyle,” added Klika.
“I'm a Type 1 diabetic. I was diagnosed about 30-35 years ago, so I’ve been insulin dependent and seen the drawbacks of how that can affect your life through your kidneys and circulation. In October of 2023, I was one out of 14 people chosen to be part of a trial, so I had a transplant of the cells that produce insulin because a Type 1 diabetic doesn't have them. I no longer take insulin, so I'm technically not a Type 1 diabetic anymore. I haven't missed a Bellin Run — my best time was like 32 minutes. Just last year I did the Bellin eight months after the transplant and it was in like 58 minutes and I took more joy and accomplished that one than running my PR of 32:10 back in the early days,” said Klika.
“If you take a healthy lifestyle, running being one example, that can have a positive impact throughout your life. It's had a remarkable impact for me, managing diabetes.”
For Klika, his love of running has evolved and though he used to pride himself on being an elite college athlete, he now looks to long-distance running as just something that he is proud to still be able to do.
“It's like, well, at 62 I don't care if I run 2 hours or 30 minutes. It's not as important, but the fact that I can still be active at that age has been important and running for 50 years and having the Bellin to challenge people to get out there just do it,” said Klika.
“When you do something that long, for 50 years, it’s become the single thing I've been doing the longest of my life. I’ve known the Bellin longer than I knew my parents who died before I was 50. It just kind of shows that I’ve made a commitment in such a healthy way.To make a commitment to something for that long is kind of cool, I don't know how many people can say that.”
However, even though he was fortunate enough to not have to rely on insulin after his clinical trial, the immunosuppressant drugs he is on have created other problems for him.
“For me right now I have no restrictions since the transplant so I'm able to train, but what it's kind of complicated for me is I'm on immune suppression drugs. What that does is knock down my white blood cell count and my hemoglobin and those are the two things that carry oxygen throughout your body.That’s kind of an important thing when you're a runner. You're basically running for the first time at a mile high altitude,” said Klika.
Klika said that he has had to come to terms with his mile time dropping from close to a six minute pace to now around nine minutes.
“My training is probably somewhere around 40 miles a week, and it looks different from a few years ago,” said Klika.
However, Klika said that through all the ups and downs, his love for running has never faltered and he is just looking forward to participation in his 49th annual run this year before reaching his Bellin Run Golden Anniversary in 2026.
“I’m just thankful to Bellin for the opportunities they have given me and the community to prioritize our health and fitness. You don’t have to run the Bellin. You can walk. You can do the 5K. You can run with a friend. There are so many ways that Bellin works to make running accessible and possible for everyone,” said Klika.
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