Minnesota running legend Garry Bjorklund suspected of driving drunk in Eden Prairie crash

Minnesota running legend Garry Bjorklund is suspected of being extremely drunk when he caused a wrong-way crash Monday evening in Eden Prairie, according to court records filed Tuesday.

The collision occurred shortly after 6 p.m. on Pioneer Trail in front of the Green Acres Event Center, according to a search warrant affidavit requesting Bjorklund's blood for testing.

Bjorklund, 71, was driving the wrong way in his SUV on westbound Pioneer Trail and struck an eastbound vehicle, the filing read. Bjorklund, who lives in Fort Collins, Colo., was ticketed for fourth-degree drunken driving, a misdemeanor.

Police have yet to say whether anyone was injured in the crash.

A police officer approached Bjorklund, who was standing outside the SUV but soon fell to the ground, the filing continued. He repeatedly told the officer that he was not drunk, the document said.

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, the filing read.

Emergency medical personnel took him from the scene to M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina, where police took possession of a blood sample for additional testing.

Messages were left late Tuesday afternoon with Bjorklund seeking his response to the allegations.

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-American 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.