Have you ever wanted to run a marathon? Well, one of our own Harrison High School students, Jack Stroud, ran in the Columbus Marathon on Sunday, October 19, 2025. Even in the freezing rain, he ran an impressive 3 hours and 48 minutes.
Jack Stroud, the fastest finisher in the Stroud Family, finished his marathon slower than he anticipated, but that’s to be expected with the adverse conditions, heavy wind, freezing rain, and uphill slopes. Jack said, “During the marathon I was feeling good until I hit the 20-mile mark and fell apart. My legs started cramping and it became hard to run.” He handled it well, wearing the proper layers, and setting a decent pace.
Jack got into distance running when he got into cross country, but even before that, the Stroud family has always run every day. Jack’s dad has been running for decades, and Jack and his twin brother ran their first full marathon in the spring, when they did the Flying Pig marathon, but they did it as a relay. They train and run every day, not only prepping for marathons, but staying in excellent shape.
Jack’s support crew consisted of his brother Charlie and his girlfriend, Sophia. They would follow along as he ran, encouraging and giving him water and calorie dense gel. In an interview with Charlie, he said, “I gave them [Jack, his dad, and his two older brothers] water and motivated them to keep their pace.” He would follow in the gaps where there was not a water table and give water to keep them hydrated. When asked about how the rain affected him, he said “The rain made it not as fun as I anticipated, and I was cold.” The freezing rain, mixed with 50-degree temperatures, sure would make it cold. Post marathon, Jack’s recovery consisted of heating and icing his legs and feet, eating lots of carbohydrates, and using his massage gun, and his dad’s massage chair.
In conclusion, running a marathon is no easy feat, and Jack and his family sure do make it look easy. It takes a lot of prepping, recovery, and drive to be able to complete any marathon. It takes months and months of work and a lot of discipline to make sure your body is able to compete at its highest level while not hurting yourself. But it is also very rewarding when you cross that finish line and see all your hard work pay off. So, if you had the chance, would you run a marathon?
