News & Stories

Couple Marries at Wirth Chalet, Requests Gifts to Loppet Foundation

Snowshoeing at the Olympic Peninsula

Longtime Loppet Foundation contributors and participants Allison Hannon and Blaine Gudbjartsson are celebrating their first few weeks as newlyweds after a ceremony at Theodore Wirth Park. Here is their story:

After a first date that involved 40-year-old Suzuki GT-750 motorcycle and the pleasant surprise that Allison and Blaine were, in fact, pretty much next-door neighbors.

The next three years, the couple crisscrossed the country on motorcycle and camping trips. They scrounged the Metro area for good fishing spots. They built and launched model rockets.

Eventually, they learned about the Loppet Foundation — which fit well with these adventurers.

“I started doing the Skate Marathon in 2013 and have done it every year since,” said Blaine. “I believe Allison started with the Pouli Skate around the same time and continues to race it. We’ve both done a bunch of other Tri-Loppets, Trail Loppets, City Trails… Last winter I took an LNR Intermediate Skate class for my first time and Allison took a trail running class over the spring. We’ve both volunteered at various events over the years as well. It’s been great!”

The trails in and around Theodore Wirth Park had become a favorite destination for the couple.

Such a favorite that, one day, Blaine and Allison took that old motorcycle out for a ride down Theodore Wirth Parkway.

A question was popped. A “yes” was said.

And Allison and Blaine got married (in Theodore Wirth Chalet, no less) on August 19, 2016. And we couldn’t be happier.

In lieu of gifts, Allison and Blaine generously requested that donations be made to the Loppet Foundation.

Blaine explains, “The Loppet has been an instrumental part of our relationship and we’re both excited to be a part of it for years to come. From running to biking to paddling to skiing, we’re pretty much always training for our next Loppet event. We’re having our wedding specifically at the chalet at Theo because that park means the world to us.”

The Loppet Foundation is glad that we could play a small role in such a beautiful relationship. And we are so thankful for your generosity — and creativity! — and we wish Allison and Blaine a happy, successful, and adventurous life together.