Challenging Race Reaps Rewards and Memories
U.S. Olympian Kara Goucher finished third in the New York City Marathon, just blocks from where her father was killed in a drunk driving crash years earlier.

The Grgas family, shortly before Mirko was killed in a drunk driving crash.

Dreams Shattered
Kelly and Kara Grgas of Waldwick, New Jersey celebrated their 6th and 4th birthdays early, since they would be out of town visiting their grandparents in Duluth, Minn. on their actual birthdays. Together with their mom, Patty, and their 5 ½ -week old baby sister, Kendall, they were waiting for their dad, Mirko, to join them and head for his family’s big reunion in Colorado.

But instead of celebrating with relatives, their worlds were totally upended when Patty got the phone call that all but destroyed the family. Mirko had been killed in New York City by a drunk driver with a .14 BAC who crossed a median, became airborne, landed on top of a car and eventually crashed into Mirko’s windshield on July 1, 1982.

Patty, Kara, Sophie, Kendall and Kelly

All-American Athletes, All in the Family
Patty’s 34-year-old husband came from Croatia to the United States with his parents at age 13. A competitive soccer player, he founded his college team during his senior year at Ottawa University Baptist College in Kansas, where he met Patty, then a freshman. The physical education graduate earned first team soccer honors in the Missouri-Kansas All-Conference, the All-Midwest, the All-American and the All Area 11. At the time of his death, Mirko was coaching and recruiting soccer players while working in the family business, installing insulation and heating systems with his father.

Mirko never got to see his girls grow up to follow in his athletic footsteps. Kelly is now an assistant soccer coach at the University 
of Minnesota Duluth. Kendall is raising 8-month-old Sophie, whose long legs already forecast athletic prowess. And 30-year-old Kara Goucher’s track and field skills have taken her to the Olympics.

In 2000, Kara won the NCAA cross country title at Iowa State University, where she met her future husband, Adam, also a professional runner. She was the second fastest runner in 2006 in the 10,000-meter world competition track race and she won the bronze medal and became the first American woman to medal in the 10,000-meter track competition in 2007.

Kara Goucher, her mother and sisters

To the Olympics and Beyond
“That’s when her life went really crazy,” says her mom. She represented the U.S. at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 5K and 10K meters in track and field, coming in ninth and tenth respectively. She and Adam both run professionally, training seven days a week. He ran the 5K in the 2000 Australian Olympics but was injured and couldn’t compete in Beijing, where he joined the whole family to cheer Kara on. Both hope to compete in London at the 2012 Olympics.

Marathon Milestone and Memories
In the November 2008 New York City Marathon, perhaps the most emotional competition of all, Kara finished third, and was the first American to star since 1994. She ran with 40 women in the elite, professional race, apart from the 39,000 other runners. She expected a difficult race in the city where she was born, running just blocks away from where her father was killed. “In the end, it was completely opposite,” Kara says. “It was awesome to be there, where he lived, getting a glimpse of who he was, feeling like he was with me and knowing he’d be proud of the person I’ve become.

“Athletics and sports are a connection I have to him. We would have been able to relate – it would have been fun,” says Kara. The University of Colorado psychology graduate runs for Nike. “I know I can get more out of myself. I want to be the best I can be, to see how good I can be. I feel like I haven’t really fulfilled my ability completely.”

Patty, in blue, and her girls

Father's Death Inspires Mother’s Work with MADD
As a single mom of three girls, Patty has helped honor their dad and make his death more meaningful through her extensive involvement with MADD. She and her father, Cal Haworth, did the necessary research and local networking with police, judges and prosecuting attorneys to start MADD’s Duluth chapter in 1983. She’s since held every position possible, including serving as a victim advocate for MADD for more than 10 years. Patty also works as a victim witness coordinator for the Lake County courthouse attorneys’ office, in Two Harbor, Minn.

The drunk driver who killed Mirko was not injured in the crash. He was charged with drunken driving and manslaughter and was sentenced to only nine months in jail.

“At first there were no such things as victims’ rights. I feel so strongly that victims must have those rights,” Patty says. “Some don’t want to be in the courtroom, but can vent their frustrations about the system to me. You have no idea what it’s like, or what goes on. Knowing that someone cares really helps.”

If you or a loved one has been affected by a drunk driving crash, MADD Victim Services can help. We have more than 1,500 trained victim advocates nationwide who provide bereaved families and injured victims with support and information. Call our Victim/Survivor Helpline at 
1-877-MADD-HELP (877-623-3435) to speak with a Victim Advocate.

Join the moderated MADD Victim Survivor Chat Support Group. 
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MADD gives you a voice and a place where your loved ones can be honored. Visit our online victim’s tribute to submit information.

During the holiday season, light a virtual candle in honor of a friend or family member impacted by a drunk driving crash.