New to the term? Read why leather club runs are called runs.
Atons Gopher Run History
- 1972: The Atons of Minneapolis were founded in the spring and held our first run that summer — AQUA-I, July 21–22, 1972.
- 1976: GOPHER I, co-hosted with the Norsemen at Kingswood Methodist Camp.
- 1977: GOPHER II, co-hosted by the Norsemen at Kingswood Methodist Camp.
- 1978: GOPHER III, co-hosted by the Black Guard at Kingswood Methodist Camp.
- 1980: GOPHER IV, held on our own at Kingswood Methodist Camp.
- 1982: GOPHER V, held in town after the Methodists discovered we weren’t “just another church group.”
- 1984: GOPHER VI, also held in town.
- 1986: GOPHER VII, returned to the great outdoors at Whitewater State Park near Altura, MN — a literal high water mark when we were flash-flooded out during Midnight Madness.
- 1988: GOPHER VIII, not much is known about this run.
- 1990: GOPHER IX, the Egyptian-themed run Valley of the Pharaohs, at Flandrau State Park in New Ulm, MN.
- 1992: GOPHER X, the Roman-themed run The Age of the Empire, celebrated our 20th anniversary at Flandrau State Park in New Ulm, MN.
- 1994: GOPHER XI, traveled to Renaissance Italy for Inquestus Maximus, at Flandrau State Park in New Ulm, MN.
- 1996: GOPHER XII, Going Down… On the Farm, at Flandrau State Park in New Ulm, MN.
- 1997: Atons 25 – A Renaissance: Renewing the Ties That Bind, held September 26–28 at the Regal Minneapolis Hotel. The highlight was a trip to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.
- 1998: GOPHER XIII – Gopher Broke: The Wild Ones, looked back to the beginnings of the biker clubs, at Flandrau State Park in New Ulm, MN.
- 2000: GOPHER XIV – The Legend of Paul Bunyan, at Flandrau State Park in New Ulm, MN.
- 2002: GOPHER XV, marking the 30th anniversary; this run was styled as XXX (Triple X), at Flandrau State Park in New Ulm, MN.
- 2004: GOPHER XVI, a military-themed run, at Flandrau State Park in New Ulm, MN.
- 2006: GOPHER XVII – Trailer Park Reunion, at Flandrau State Park in New Ulm, MN.
- 2008: GOPHER XVIII – The Close Encounters Run, celebrating science fiction, at Flandrau State Park in New Ulm, MN.
- 2010: GOPHER XIX – Gopher U, a leather higher education theme, at Flandrau State Park in New Ulm, MN.
- 2012: GOPHER XX – 40 Years of Devotion, at Flandrau State Park in New Ulm, MN.
- 2014: GOPHER XXI – Tails of the City, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Minneapolis.
- 2017: GOPHER XXII – Minnesota Nice Naughty, at the Hilton MSP Airport.
- 2022: GOPHER XXIII – 50th Anniversary Run: Celebrate the ’70s, at Whitewater State Park near Altura, MN.
- 2024: GOPHER XXIV – Kink In Space, at Whitewater State Park near Altura, MN.
- 2026: GOPHER XXV - Mount Olympus, at St. Croix State Park near Hinckley, MN.
Stories from the early runs
Founding member Jim Courtney remembers the early Gopher Runs in the Atons oral history:
- The canoe. At Gopher I, Jim took a canoe out on Long Lake for the first time, turned around when another canoe sang the “Indian Love Call” behind him, and swam to shore in full leather boots. At Gopher II, the run show spoofed it.
- The flood. When the run at Whitewater State Park flooded out, rangers led everyone up the bluffs in the dark. The leftover brunch money paid for a commemorative pin, and nearly everyone came back for the next run.
- Finding Flandrau. Jim and another member scouted Flandrau State Park in the dead of winter, on foot through waist-deep snow. The spring-fed pond there was the heart of Gopher Run for years.