SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. — A year ago, cancer survivor Melinda Gruber set out to run 50 5K runs by the time she turned 50.
This month, the South Haven woman not only accomplished her goal but received recognition from a royal figure who represents the tiny European Principality of Monaco.
How Gruber found herself in the company of Prince Albert II of Monaco began a little more than a year ago when she was mulling how to commemorate reaching the big 5-0.
“Last year, as I was approaching my 49th birthday, one of the things I thought about was staying in shape,” she said in an interview in November 2019 after she had completed 40 races.
Gruber went on to explain how she had heard about other people setting a goal of performing 50 tasks by the time their 50th birthday came around, and thought she’d give it a try, too.
“I heard about someone attending 50 music concerts, and then I heard of somebody going to 50 festivals in a year, culminating with the Festival of Colors in India,” she said.
But Gruber decided to do something more athletic.
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