Minnesota running legend Garry Bjorklund pleaded guilty Wednesday and was sentenced to three years' probation for being extremely drunk when he caused a wrong-way collision on a road in Eden Prairie.
Bjorklund, 71, who lives in Fort Collins, Colo., admitted in Hennepin County District Court to a gross-misdemeanor count of drunken driving in connection with the Aug. 8 crash on Pioneer Trail.
Judge Leslie Metzen's sentencing of Bjorklund includes 40 hours of community service. Terms of Bjorklund's probation include no alcohol or illicit drug use, submitting to random substance use testing, completing a drunken-driving assessment and paying $778 in fines and fees.
In exchange for the guilty plea, the judge dismissed misdemeanor counts against Bjorklund for careless driving and having open alcohol in his vehicle.
According to the charges and other court documents:
Bjorklund was heading west on eastbound Pioneer Trail about 6 p.m. in front of the Green Acres Event Center and collided with an oncoming vehicle.
A police officer approached Bjorklund, who was standing outside the SUV but soon fell to the ground. He repeatedly told the officer that he was not drunk.
The officer administered a preliminary breath test, and it registered Bjorklund's blood alcohol content at 0.26%, more than three times the legal limit for driving in Minnesota.
Officials have not said whether anyone was hurt in the crash.
The annual half-marathon run every June in Duluth as part of Grandma's Marathon was created in 1991 and named for Bjorklund, who won the inaugural Grandma's in 1977 and again in 1980.
Bjorklund was a star distance runner for Proctor High School, earned All-America honors five times while competing for the University of Minnesota and was the NCAA national champion in 1971 in the 6-mile run.
In 1976, he ran the 10,000 meters at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and finished 13th.
