This painting by Christopher Cudworth of Johanna Olson, Luther College distance runner, will be given to her family during a fund raising event in Arizona. Click to view.

My alma mater Luther College has a great running tradition. My career there resulted in a second place finish in the NCAA Division III nationals, a thrill and an achievement. Yet following my own graduation, there came a series of runners who added to the running tradition of the college in so many ways it is hard to describe. One of those runners was Johanna Olson. Her story has been ably covered in an ESPN.com piece that documents her spirit, talent and great attitude toward life.

Recently I was commissioned to do a painting of Johanna for a Luther College fund raising event in Arizona. My former coach Kenton Finanger, himself a legend among Division III coaches is heading up the event and has hired me to do paintings of Luther College runners before. But this painting was a special opportunity to celebrate a life fully lived, for sure.

It is fitting. Finanger is known not only for his successes with teams and runners, but for his joy in the sport and commitment to runners at every level of ability. Coach Kent welcomed the first two female athletes into the cross country program at Luther College in 1975, the year I enrolled as a freshman. That move led to a women’s program that produced national champions such as Turena Johnson-Lane, who won the Honda Award for female athlete of the year in 1997.

Both their careers were an inspiration not only for their athletic achievements, but for their character and refreshing view of the sport, as sport.

It is an honor to do a painting of a person such as Johanna Olson. I tried to capture both the immediacy of the event and her transcendence in the moment. Hope you enjoy.