Thirty-two Run OSUmembers complete OKC Marathon

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Thirty-two members of the Run Oklahoma State University (R.O.S.U.) training team finished the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Sunday, April 28. Eight participants finished the full marathon and 24 finished the half marathon.

 "Through this training, I have gained the support, technique and confidence to feel ready to compete,” marathon trainee Leslie Hooper-Boley said. “The lessons learned through this program have made a great impact on my life.”

 This was the 13th Annual OKC Memorial Marathon, which pays tribute to the victims, family members and survivors of the OKC bombing.

“We run to give to the Memorial,” according to the OKC marathon website. “We run to involve the community, the nation and perhaps the world in the continuing process of coping with the tragedy of the past. We run as a step toward a better future.”

The R.O.S.U. marathon training group met Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30 a.m. and on Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. since January 10. This is the first time the Department of Wellness has offered a program specifically for marathon training with the goal of competing in the OKC marathon. The program had different specialized training days within each week including interval training, tempo run training and long run training. The program was taught by Zach Ruedy, John Sellers and Scott Downard.

“We wanted to provide an organized marathon training program in a team setting,” Sellers said.

There will be another marathon training program in the fall where they will be training for the Route 66 marathon in Tulsa.

“We hope to have this program become a set program for semesters to come,” Ruedy said.

The OSU Department of Wellness is committed to creating a healthy campus culture for students, faculty and staff. The department seeks to promote healthy lifestyles and lifelong learning through the highest quality Wellness programs. For more information about the marathon training program, please contact Zach Ruedy at 405-744-5510 or zruedy@okstate.edu.