Uncle’s gesture both therapeutic, inspiring
Sandburg community joins in run to remember school’s popular athletic trainer
Posen’s Dave Athans said he needed something to calm himself after his nephew, Dave Kreis, died of cancer Nov. 11, two days after Kreis’ 42nd birthday.
Kreis was a popular head athletic trainer at Sandburg High School and Athans thought a good way to pay tribute to his nephew and to clear his own head would be to run 42 miles on the Sandburg track in Orland Park.
That’s more than a marathon and a half, but Athans, 62, once ran 77 miles in the mountains of Colorado. Those who knew him knew it could be done.
His original plan was not to tell anyone and just do it on his own as a therapeutic device to help get through the grief.
But people found out about it Friday, thanks in part to social media. A steady stream of friends, family members and members of the Sandburg community came showed up on a chilly Saturday to either run with him for a portion of the eight-hour trek or to cheer him on.
With 42 being the theme, the tribute run started at 8:42 a.m.
At 9:42, there was a brief but powerful snow shower.
“I thought that the snow was going to be a downer,” said Jenna Oster, Kreis’ sister-inlaw. “But it stopped and everything turned out great.”
Athans could only laugh when the strong snow fell. He was convinced his nephew was in the heavens messing with him.
“At that point, I said I think Dave just found out what I’m doing today and said, ‘you’re doing what? Try this!’ ” Athans said.
Athans got through the 168 laps with several heartwarming highlights:
Sandburg cheerleaders cheering his start and joining him for a couple of laps.
The dance team forming two lines so he could run through a tunnel, then joining him for a couple of laps.
The wrestling team and later the basketball team joining in for a few laps, clapping and making noise.
Sandburg Principal Derrick Smith running with him for 42 laps.
Eagles senior cross country senior Haley Kolinski joined Athans for 8 miles.
“She was running in the opposite direction and every time we would pass, she would smile and say ‘good job.’ ” Athans said “I changed directions and I ran with her, and we were talking. We talked a lot. She is an amazing young lady.”
He closed the race running side by side for the final mile with Kreis’ wife, Susie Stringham.
Kreis’ affect on students, trainers and athletes was far reaching. There was a plethora of kind words all over social media and in person with Saturday’s run.
His mother, Loretta Athans, was either laughing or in tears most of the day.
“If you knew him, it wouldn’t surprise you,” she said of the outpouring of affection. “It doesn’t surprise me. But I am astounded by the size of it. It’s just amazing. I can’t even grasp it.”
Loretta said she named her son after her brother and was proud to see him running on the track in Kreis’ honor.
Visitation and services were held Monday for Kreis at the Richard J. Modell Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Homer Glen.
The Midlothian native and Mokena resident went to Bremen High School and went on to swim at Loras College. He earned a master’s degree in physical education from the University of Dubuque. He has been with Sandburg for 13 years.
Among those at the run were Mike and Natalie Drez. Mike was a trainer for four years at the Orland Park school and is taking physical therapy and exercise sciences courses at St. Xavier University.
“He was a funny, great man,” Drez said. “He always thought about what would make us better. He was definitely passionate about what he did and that brought it on to us to do better and to make ourselves better. He was amazing and he will be missed dearly.”
Drez remembers each day in sports medicine class when Kreis snapped off a riddle or two.
“He knew every riddle in the book,” he said. “Any riddle we had, he would know the answers. He would come back with a riddle no one ever heard. He would get us everyone all the time.”
Natalie Drez is a senior at Sandburg and plans on a career in nursing. She said she will miss Kreis.
“He was a really sweet guy who was always there for us,” she said. “Whatever you needed, even outside of training, he was there for us. If he saw me, he would walk with me to classes and ask me how my day was.”
Athans said when Kreis wanted to compete in a sprint triathlon in Wisconsin two decades ago, they both trained together.
“He went all out,” Athans said. “One day he called and said, ‘I just bought a one-piece triathlon suit.’ I didn’t even have one. He came over one day with the helmet he bought. He was so proud of the helmet, a red, white and blue helmet, and it was a fun year getting ready. Race day was exceptionally fun.”
Athans, a parts and production manager at Gerber Collision in Munster, Indiana, said he borrowed one of Kreis’ Cubs hats to wear Saturday. Athans is a White Sox fan but donned the Cubs hat because Kreis was a die-hard Cubs fan. Kreis’ dog was named Banks, after Cubs legend Ernie Banks.
Kreis was also a huge fan of the rock group Pearl Jam, so it was no surprise to hear music from Eddie Vedder and the boys cranking from the loudspeakers.
Loretta Athans said they have a large family and 50-plus gather during the holidays.
This year, the gatherings will be sad without Dave, but she will have good memories of meeting so many of her son’s friends during the run Saturday.
“Oh, it’s going to be terribly rough,” she said. “You keep saying you don’t know how you are going to get through it but something like this really helps. It means the world.”