Reggae Marathon pays tribute to beloved 94-y-o participant

Burt Carlson, one of the oldest participants in the internationally renowned Reggae Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K, passed away on March 10 at age 94.

A resident of Minnesota in the United States, Carlson participated in 11 Reggae Marathon and Half Marathons – in 2003 and 2004, as well as from 2006 to 2013. His most recent run was in 2015.

Carlson began running at 57 and ran 100 marathons after his 81st birthday.

In paying tribute to him, Alfred ‘Frano’ Francis, race director for the Reggae Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K, said: “Burt, having participated in 11 of our 19 events, became a member of the Reggae Marathon family. Team members, media, and fellow runners all looked forward to seeing him each year. He was an inspiration to runners and a blessing to us all. He will be missed. Rest in peace, Burt.”

Marathoner Greg Merth, who also started running in his later years, recalled meeting Burt at a half-marathon in Minnesota about seven years ago. “He was already a legend, and I couldn’t let the opportunity pass for me to shake his hand. As we chatted at the start line …, I told him that my wife and I made frequent trips to Jamaica, and he advised that he had run the Reggae Marathon 10 times to that point. He has been an inspiration to me,” Merth said in tribute.

According to the Minnesota Star Tribute, Carlson, known as the ‘Mound Man’, took part in over 324 marathons and ultra-marathons.

He was born in Minneapolis on September 26, 1925, to Bennett and Myrtle Carlson. He was raised in Minneapolis and attended Minneapolis Central High School. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in mechanical engineering.

He went to work for 3M Co., designing facilities for many of the company’s plants. He retired in 1990.

In retirement, running took him all over the world. Carlson ran in all 50 states and in nine countries on seven continents.