The Minnesota Chapter was established by National President Steven Cuomo and Claire Braun in April 2016. We are a non-profit organization set up to mainstream athletes who are developmentally disabled or have other special needs.
We are a running, walking, and wheelers club set up specifically for these athletes. We stress important values; such as, Courage, Honesty, Integrity, Responsibility, Persistence and Loyalty. These are all qualities that are needed to be successful in life. Our goals are simple; Inclusion, Independence and Choice. Through running, we hope to build up the athletes’ confidence and self-esteem. This will enable them to become more independent in their everyday lives and improve the quality of their lives. We achieve this through participation in mainstream running and walking events. We are the second club set up with these purposes in mind.
We are members of USA Track & Field. There is no charge to our athletes. The organization covers athletes’ expenses from shoes and clothing to race entries, association memberships, transportation, and anything else required for their participation in these events.
Contact Board President Claire Braun [(763) 742-3286 or wcbraun@msn.com] for details about this program or if you are seeking to make a donation of any kind to the Minnesota Chapter. The Minnesota Chapter office is located at 5308 Clifton Drive, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55112. The Minnesota Chapter phone is [(763) 780-2978].
Contact Head Coach Mark Braun [(763) 592-9049, mark.braun@state.mn.us or teamUSA.05@gmail.com], with questions about team practices and upcoming events on their calendar .
2017 Fundraiser by Mark Braun : On The Journey To Making Team USA
Mark Braun | 125 Humans of Gillette
Mounds View’s Mark Braun: From Abandoned Baby to Athlete, Advocate
Program Board & Team Coaches
Board of Directors
- Claire Braun, President
- Mark Braun, National Athlete Representative
USATF requires USATF registered coaches, club coaches, volunteers, club leadership (i.e. club president, treasurer, administrators, secretaries) and any other person who has authority over or contact with any athlete during practices, race events, etc. to be USATF 3-Step Safe Sport Compliant.
USATF 3-Step SafeSport Compliance List
Team Coaches
- Mark Braun, Program Head Coach
- Jon Gunnarson, Southern Region Head Coach
- Rob Wills, Strength & Conditioning Coach
- Claire Braun, Team Manager
- Bryant Stiernagle, Team Coach
- Kyle Gravelle, Team Coach
- Lisa Hagen, Team Coach
- Darin Nevalainen, Team Coach
- Lucas Braun, Team Coach
- Penni Braun, Team Coach
- Christopher Johnson, Team Coach
Facebook Rolling Thunder Minnesota
ROLLING THUNDER SPECIAL NEEDS PROGRAM, INC
IRS EIN: 11-3488500