Ted Esau ran for fun and took others with him

When doctors told Ted Esau to lose weight and start walking, it dawned on him that he could reach his goal faster if he became a runner.

Esau did that and much more, running in 31 marathons and leading Minnesota runners to races in New York, Las Vegas, Paris and London.

Esau, a longtime Bloomington resident and real estate broker, died of cancer on Aug. 20 in Evergreen, Colo.

Esau, 78, had moved to San Benito, Texas, two years ago.

His son Reed of Golden, Colo., said "he grew to love running and the people involved in it," continuing to lead trips to the New York Marathon even after he cut back to shorter races.

He ran more than a dozen New York marathons, but his favorite races were the Paris Marathon and Grandma's in Duluth, where he ran his first marathon in 1984.

After graduating from the old Mechanic Arts High School in St. Paul in 1947, he attended the University of Minnesota.

He sold real estate with firms including Edina Realty, running its Hopkins office. In the late 1960s, he began his own real estate firm.

His son Eric of Evergreen, Colo., once worked with him.

"He loved helping people find houses," Eric said. "The job was very well suited to him."

He played leadership roles in real estate associations and served on the property variance board for Bloomington.

Esau believed that "you meet the most interesting people while you are out for a run," said Bill Knight of Burnsville, a member of the Minnesota Distance Running Association .

"If you had legs left after the marathon, he wanted to take you to the Copa and party," Knight said.

And he usually came up with a vest or another piece of clothing to serve as the Minnesota contingent's uniform, taking "great delight" in not revealing the so-called uniform until the group embarked.

Marathoner Barb Dahl, formerly of Excelsior and now living in Lakewood, Colo., said he was a strong runner who was flamboyant. He wore running tights with wild patterns.

"He made marathoning fun," Dahl said.

He last ran a half-marathon in 2007 in Woodbury and continued working in real estate until two years ago.

In addition to his sons, he is survived by his sister, Paula Christopherson of St. Paul, and two grandchildren.