He served as a children's pastor at Rock Hills Church in Manhattan, Kansas[4] while continuing to run competitively at the masters level.

[5] Until his retirement from full-time ministry in 2021, Torneden held credentials with the Assemblies of God[6] and, with his wife Deb, still coach runners online.

[7] Fred Torneden is a native of Dover, Kansas, and started his higher education at Butler Community College in El Dorado, where he ran as a walk-on for the track team.

As a freshman, he won the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference championship in the 5,000 meter run.

While the temperature hovered near 40 degrees, Torneden led the pack, surging at mile 16 on a record-breaking pace.

[16] Throughout the racing, Torneden was outspoken about his religious life, describing his Christian faith as his motivation, and even mentioning that he speaks in tongues while running.

[18] But in October 1984, Torneden raced the Twin Cities Marathon, which starts in Minneapolis and finishes in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Fans and reporters considered Henrik Jørgensen and Dick Beardsley to be the favorites.

At 19 miles, Jørgensen had faded and Torneden made his move, gaining a 100-meter lead over Janicki.

[24] His success at Twin Cities earned him a slot on the first-ever IAAF World Marathon Cup team for the United States along with Pfitzinger.

[25] In 2002, Fort Hays State University inducted Torneden to their Athletic Hall of Fame.

At the 2024 USATF Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships, both he and his wife Deb ran on world record age group 4x800m relays on the same day.

[27] Torneden returned to Butler Community College as a coach for the Grizzlies' cross country and track teams.

[32] Fred is married to Deborah Torneden (née Pihl), also a competitive runner and a coach.