DULUTH, Minn. — The rollerblading community is mourning a passionate inline skater who died after a marathon Saturday on the North Shore.
In a statement posted on Facebook, organizers of the NorthShore Inline Marathon announced that participant Mike Lufholm died following the race in Duluth Saturday. The 36-year-old Lufholm was a Duluth native who now lives in the Twin Cities.
"Mike’s passion was skating, and it truly brought him so much happiness," organizers wrote in the post. "Our hearts go out to his wife, daughter, family and all those who were close to him. He made such an impact on the rollerblading community."
Duluth Police Department Lt. Michael Tinsley said in an email to the Duluth News Tribune Sunday afternoon that shortly after 7:30 a.m. Saturday, "a medical was reported of a skater down in the tunnels of I-35 along the course."
Tinsley said officers responded to help other medical staff, and the skater was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Police were not involved after that, Tinsley said.
Lufholm's passion for the sport included serving as an ambassador for the Rollerblade company. In a profile on the company website, he describes how he developed a passion for "going fast" while skiing with his father as a kid, and then begging his folks for a pair of inline skates after seeing a group of classmates buzzing around on them.
He said the passion for inline skating was just as strong as an adult, 26 years after being bitten by the bug.
"Skating is just as beneficial for my mental health as it is for my physical health. No matter what is going on in the world around me, I always feel better after going for a skate," Lufholm told Rollerblade. "Sharing that joy with friends always makes the experience more enjoyable. I have made many lifelong friendships and can’t imagine what life would be like had I never found skating. Without a doubt, skating helps keep me happy and healthy."
Lufholm posted on his personal Facebook page that he and his wife had just welcomed a baby girl into the world in late August. A family friend has started a GoFundMe account to help Mike's wife Erin and their 3-week-old daughter Olivia move forward without him. As of Monday at noon the fund had already raised nearly $23,000 of its $25,000 goal.
His friends and members of the inline skating community shared an outpouring of grief on social media Sunday after learning of his death.
"He was one of the most uniquely talented people I’ve ever met, and he was so humble you’d never know it," wrote Jason Calva. "His skating, photography and light painting were in a category of his own."
"Mike made the world a better place," added Jeff Steltz. "He posted, 'I found a good one' when he found a palm-sized agate. Well, we lost a good one yesterday. Prayers and condolences to Mike’s family."
Lufholm's death follows the passing of another athlete who collapsed and died Sept. 8 while taking part in the City of Lakes Half-Marathon. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office identified him as 27-year-old Blake Groulx of Minneapolis. Groulx's obituary said the cause of death was "cardiac issues" suffered during the race.
