November 2006 Archives

Mike has received notable coverage for his work in the community.

Excerpts are from an article written by Cari Quam, West Central Tribune, December 2005. The full article can be downloaded at http://www.kandiyohi.com/documents/Dec05newsletter.pdf

Amy Kelleher left Atlanta to work at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar. Liz VanDerBill decided to quit her job in Brooklyn Center and moved to Willmar before finding work. Michael Pluimer moved out of the Twin Cities so that his children could attend Central Minnesota Christian School in Prinsburg. Kelleher, VanDerBill and Pluimer all grew up in the Willmar area, moved away after high school and decided to come back. The Bring Them Back Home task force, a program of the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission, wants more people like them. The task force is trying to figure out ways to link area natives who have moved away with local jobs.

Published Summer 2006 in the West Central Tribune. Excerpts in this article were also taken from an article by Diane Macht in the Raymond-Prinsburg News. The full article can be downloaded at http://www.kandiyohi.com/documents/Summer06_BTBH_000.pdf

In the midst of a successful career as an engineer at Toro Co., Michael Pluimer moved out of the Twin Cities so that his children could attend Central Minnesota Christian School in Prinsburg. The lure of returning home was strong for Pluimer, who was pursued and hired by a local company, and has since become an engineering consultant/lobbyist living in rural Raymond. Pluimer wanted to give back to his community and the school that raised him, and decided to do some fund-raising by competing in the Ironman USA Triathlon, which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run. He finished in the top 500 among 1,800 competitors. That was good, but even better was knowing he met another important goal. He trained hard not only with the goal of finishing, but he wanted to raise money for a cause dear to his heart: Christian education at his alma mater, Central Minnesota Christian School. Pluimer did both – in grand style. He finished the race in a time of 11 hours and 43 minutes, and raised $83,000 for CMCS. Since Pluimer was the top fundraiser in the Janus Charity Challenge, he earned an additional $10,000 for the school, on top of the $73,000 that was donated. He accepted the award at a ceremony in Idaho, where he spoke about his charity, saying he was “extremely humbled and blessed.” Pluimer said the next nearest fundraiser to him was at $40,000. Janus gave him a free pass to any race in 2006, and Pluimer plans to race again. He wants to raise $100,000 for CMCS at the Ironman in Lake Placid, New York on July 23, 2006.

I have taught several classes at the local YMCA to help people train for triathlons. Check back here for more details on how you can find tips for training.

This article can be found at http://www.ironmannorthamerica.com

Ford Ironman USA Coeur d'Alene athletes raise more than $500,000 through the Janus Charity Challenge

BOULDER, Colo. Sixty-three athletes who competed in the 2005 Ford Ironman USA Coeur d'Alene Triathlon in June raised $559,000 for non-profit organizations through the Janus Charity Challenge program.

As presenting sponsor of Ironman North America events in the United States, Janus, the Denver-based investment management firm, created the Janus Charity Challenge to encourage athletes to use Ironman events as a way to raise money for their favorite nonprofit organizations.

Since the inception of the program back in 2001, the Janus Charity Challenge has raised more than $9.2 million for hundreds of nonprofit groups throughout the country.

The top fundraiser at the 2005 Ford Ironman USA Coeur d'Alene was Michael Pluimer (Raymond, Minn.), who raised $72,913 for the Central Minnesota Christian School. Pluimer's nonprofit will receive an additional $10,000 contribution from Janus, and he will also receive a complimentary entry in the Ironman North America race of his choice in the next 12 months.

All athletes who compete in Ironman North America full-distance U.S. events in 2005 are eligible to participate in the program. For the top five individual fundraisers at each race, Janus will make a donation to their designated charity in the following amounts: First place, $10,000; second place, $8,000; third place, $6,000; fourth place, $4,000 and fifth place, $2,000.

Janus will also contribute $750 to the beneficiaries of the next highest 25 fundraisers (athletes must raise a minimum of $750 to qualify). In addition, the top fundraiser at each race will have the entry fee waived for the Ironman North America race of his or her choice within the following 12 months.

“This race set a new record in the number of athletes participating in the Janus Charity Challenge to date”, said Casey Cortese, director of community relations for Janus. “We are incredibly excited to see more athletes engaging in the program and hope this is a trend that continues throughout the year.”

To make a donation or sign up for the Janus Charity Challenge, or for more information, log onto www.januscharitychallenge.com.

In total, just over $559,000 was raised at this year's Ford Ironman USA Coeur d'Alene triathlon through the Janus Charity Challenge.

1st place: Michael Pluimer (Raymond, Minn.) raised $72,913 for the Central Minnesota Christian School. The school will also receive an additional $10,000 from Janus

2nd place: Aaron Scheidies (Farmington, Mich.) raised $43,271 for the “C Different Foundation,” and the organization will be the recipient of an additional $8,000 donation.

3rd place: Doug Evans (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) raised $32,146.99 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation through the Coeur d’Alene Cancer Challenge. Doug's efforts have brought an extra $6,000 contribution to his beneficiary.

4th place: Cherie Gruenfeld (Cathedral City, Calif.) raised $31,416.78 for the Active Awareness Fund. The Active Awareness Fund will also receive an extra $4,000 from Janus.

5th place: Beth Steinberg (Saratoga, Calif.) raised $26,070 for the Collective Roots Garden Project, and her efforts have brought an extra $2,000 contribution to her beneficiary.

Lake Placid 2006	Arizona 2006	Coeur d'Alene 2005

Name: E-mail address: Message:

http://www.brookingsmarathon.com/ResultsMar2004.php

date: May 15, 2004 location: Brookings, SD number of finishers: 104

Michael Pluimer age: 31 gender: M location: Raymond, MN

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Race results available at http://www.brookingsmarathon.com/ResultsMar2004.php

	overall place:	8 out of 104
	division place:	2 out of 14
	gender place:	8 out of 79
	time:	3:06:35
	pace:	7:06

date: June 20th, 2003 location: Duluth, MN number of finishers: 6870 number of females: 2515 number of males: 4355 average time: 04:19:13

Michael Pluimer bib number: 2965 age: 30 gender: M location: Raymond, MN

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Race results available at onlineraceresults.com

	overall place:	455 out of 6873
	division place:	191 out of 1532
	gender place:	383 out of 4356
	time:	3:14:31
	pace:	7:26
	10k split:	45:57
	half marathon:	1:36:09
	20 mile split:	2:26:35
	last 10k:	47:14
	chip time:	3:13:49

Marathons

White Rock - Dallas, TX
Brookings Marathon - Brookings, SD
Grandma's Marathon - Duluth, MN

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Half Ironmans

Steelhead - Benton Harbor, MI
Libery Triathlon - Maple Plain, MN

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Sprint Triathlons

2006 Green Lake - Spicer, MN

date: June 10th, 2006 location: Maple Plain, MN number of finishers: 137 number of females: 35 number of males: 102 average time: 05:45:43

Michael Pluimer bib number: 123 age: 34 gender: M location: Raymond, MN

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Race results available at onlineraceresults.com

	overall place:	14 out of 137
	division place:	5 out of 24
	gender place:	13 out of 122
	time:	4:57:35
	swim:	33:07
	trn1:	3:13
	bike:	2:49:49
	trn2:	2:39
	run:	1:28:50