What are you most excited about for the Boston Marathon (things you have heard about, things you might be looking forward to the most).
EVERYTHING. The expo, being in town leading up to and after, riding the buses, waiting for the start, the course. But I think I’m mostly looking forward to post-race, reflecting on everything. Those are such fun times, and this one will be epic. Since this is my first Boston, I know there is so much that I have no idea about, so I’m just looking forward to taking it all in, and then the reflection afterwards.
What made you want to do the Boston Marathon/when did it common to your radar?
I had been running marathons for fun for years, and it seemed like a big enough goal to just run them. Boston wasn’t on my radar. But when my wife Allison decided to run her first marathon, she got connected with a solid group of friends, and she was following training plans with goals. I finally decided to take it a little more seriously and follow a plan. Once I did that, I saw that I was pretty close to some decent goals, like Boston. Once we were both focused on racing goals, it just became a big part of our relationship and our lifestyle. I tell her that she is the reason I BQ’d.
What have you had to go through to qualify for the Boston Marathon?
I was training for Monumental in 2018. My BQ time when training started was 3:25. I decided to just try for something sub-3:25 and was hitting those paces, maybe 3:23-ish. Then the B.A.A. revised the standards for that cycle about 6 weeks before the race, and my new BQ standard was 3:20. I figured I’d let it burn and see what happened and ran a 3:20:09. Total victory. I dealt with injuries in 2019, COVID shut things down in 2020, so 2021 was my first shot at another BQ attempt. I aged up to the 50-54 year old age group (3:25 was now my qualifying standard) but I didn’t want to back into the BQ. I trained for a 3:15-3:20 marathon time, and in Columbus in October 2021, I ran a 3:17:39. Overall, I guess it was about a 3 year journey to get my BQ.
Who is coming with you to the Boston Marathon? (Family/friends)
16 Rogue teammates! My oldest son, CJ who is a Senior graduating from Miami. My wife, Allison, cannot come because she is going to race Glass City and BQ six days later and I wouldn’t let her travel screw up her taper.
What does running the Boston Marathon mean to you?
So much. It’s humbling, honestly. Pursuing something that is very difficult could lead to pride above all else. But I really do find that it brings humility because I know how hard everyone must work to get here. And joining Rogue has been a huge blessing on that front as well. Achieving a BQ could be a bucket list item, a finish line, and a “look at me” kind of thing. But being involved with this group keeps me humble and shows me how much more can be achieved.
What number marathon is this for you?
This will be #10
