One of our members, Bjorn Burnett, will be participating in the annual run for charity to support the Eric Marsh Foundation. Eric March was the superintendent of the Granit Mountain Hotshots, who, along with 18 of his crew members passed away battling the Yarnell Hill fire on June 20’th, 2013. From March 4th-6th, Bjorn will be running 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours to raise money for the EMF, which supports the families of fallen wildland firefighters. He’ll be doing giveaways from now until the event, so make sure to keep your eye our for ways to donate. Every little bit helps!
If you’d like to donate: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-families-of-fallen-firefighters
Q: How long have you been a member at the Bozeman Hot Springs?
A: I’ve been a member out at the Hot Springs 2013, mainly in the winter time. Since 2013, I spent most of my summers being a firefighter, so when that died down, I always restarted my membership. I was a wildland firefighter from 2012-2016 and before that, I was a Fire EMS from 2009-2012.
Q: How long have you been training for this?
A: I’ve never been much of a runner, so I started running last September, but I officially have been training for this event since October.
Q: What does your training look like?
A: Generally, I run six times a week in the morning for one to two miles. On three of those days, I do a four-mile run in the afternoon. Paired with that, I do Yoga twice a week, and do some sprints to build endurance. To keep me from getting bored or burnt out, I also like to listen to books while running on the treadmill.
Q: Do you know how many others are running in this event?
A: Not personally, but every year thousands of people all over the world, run at the same time, this year starting at 9 p.m. MTN on March 4th, to support a cause they believe in.
Q: Are you running in a team/Solo?
A: This is a solo event, so I won’t be running with a team. The whole challenge is to be able to run this amount by yourself, so running with a team kind of defeats the purpose.
Q: Have you done other runs like this?
A: To prepare for this run, I did a half-version of it back in November. For this, I ran 24 miles in 24 hours instead of 48 miles in 48 hours. It felt like a good stepping stone to make sure my training progress was on the right path.
Q: What made you choose the EMF?
A: My prior experience as a wildland firefighter really drove me to choose the EMF. The Yarnell Hill Fire of 2013 really hit close to home for me, so ever since, I’ve been doing everything I can to support our firefighters. The last fire I was on was in Prescott, Arizona, home of the Granit Mountain Hotshots, whom Eric Marsh was the superintendent of. I was there doing the same job those guys did. I met other local firefighters and family members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. I will never forget the Granit Mountain Hotshots.
Q: What is something you want others to know about the wildland firefighters?
A: I really want people to be aware of the risk of the job and the sacrifices that firefighters need to make every day. The job pays in experience and life skills (leadership, communication, etc) more than it pays in anything else.
Q: How can others donate to the EMF?
A: I would love any support you can offer! I currently have a GoFundMe page up and will be doing multiple giveaways to raise money. Some of the prizes I’ll be giving away are passes to the Bozeman Hot Springs, two huge gift baskets from Black Rifle Coffee co., and more.
Donations: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-families-of-fallen-firefighters