In honor of beloved K-LITE 101.7 radio host Gary Fruin, about 30 people have created “Team Gary” to compete in the Santa Barbara Triathlon on Aug. 29 in Fruin’s memory.
The local icon entertained and informed listeners in Santa Barbara for 34 years before he died at 68 from esophageal cancer in January, 2025. A known runner, he was remembered by those around him as having a strong yet soothing presence on air, and as a man who spoke softly and humbly in person.
“We shared a small studio for 32 years, five and a half hours a day,” said Fruin’s co-host Catherine Remak. “He loved athletics. He was a runner for a long, long time, and so I think about him as I’m out there trying my best to do the run.”
Team Gary, led by coach and USA triathlon ambassador Dawn Schroeder, has been training every Sunday at East Beach since May. Most of its members are K-LITE listeners, as well as Fruin’s daughters Delaney and Cara and his niece, Hillary. For many on the team, this competition will be their first ever triathlon.
The team will also raise money for the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara. The proceeds will then be donated to the Ridley-Tree Cancer Foundation, which lent a comforting hand to Fruin during his final moments.
In addition to the triathlon registration fee, all members of Team Gary donated $101.7 (in reference to K-LITE 101.7) to Ridley-Tree. On top of a $2,500 grant from Montecito Bank and Trust, the team is now $8,000 into its $10,000 goal.
Fruin’s wife, Camille Fruin, spoke about how much Gary adored the community, and naturally how much he loved speaking to it through radio. She reminisced how often people would come up to him around town, carrying a sensitivity like they were walking up to a celebrity, asking “Are you Gary? From the radio?”
At a special event hosted at Paradise Springs Winery, members of Team Gary gathered after their Sunday practice to welcome two-time triathlete world champion and four-time Hall of Fame inductee Siri Lindley who shared her story as a cancer survivor.
“It’s about facing challenges head on and thinking about what inside of you is going to strengthen,” said Lindley at the event, talking about triathlon as more than a sport. “That’s what life is. You start something, so those of you doing this for the first time, that is so courageous and so brave. And this is what Gary has given all of you.”
