$100,000 for 50 Years of the GMR
In honor of the 50th anniversary, we’re launching #GMRGIVES, a day of giving to support current and future Burke Mountain Academy student-athletes.
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The Birth of the GMR
In the winter of 1975, two BMA staff members were turning over ideas for how to keep the athletes motivated through mud season. The competition calendar was winding down, but the Burke drive to train, to challenge, and to do something just a little wild was still burning.
“What if, we ran the entire length of Vemont..”
It was the kind of half-serious idea that could only come out of Burke — part training plan, part community builder, 100% type two fun. Run the entire length of Vermont, on foot, as a relay. From the Canadian border to Massachusetts.
There was only one route that made sense: Route 100, Vermont’s most iconic road, winding through the spine of the Green Mountains and past every major ski area in the state. It didn’t actually touch either border, but that detail was sorted out, quite literally, on the run.
It was when a student's mom reached into her purse and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. “I’ll pay you to run it.”
With that, a fundraiser was born. That first year, the Green Mountain Run raised $40,000 for BMA. Even more importantly, it brought the community together after a long winter of ranked, individualized competition. It gave students something to chase, together.
The Green Mountain Run — or GMR — became a tradition. Each year since, students have taken to Route 100 in a 211-mile, all-hands-on-deck relay, running in shifts, cheering from vans, staying up all night, and sharing one of the most unforgettable adventures.
The GMR has evolved, but the heart of it hasn’t changed. It’s still part challenge, part celebration, and all Burkie.
JENNY BRUELL FISHER '01
Director of Advancement
jbruellfisher@burkemtnacademy.org
802-427-8018