Runners ran 26.2 miles of Columbia’s gravel-dusted roads, winding forested curves and steep hills throughout the morning on Labor Day for the 67th annual Heart of America Marathon & Relay.
Trae Miller, president of the Columbia Track Club, said about 315 people registered for the event.
His club, alongside Fisher House, served as two of the main sponsors for Monday’s event.
Before the first rays of sunlight touched the weathered wood siding of the Boone County History and Culture Center, runners were already buzzing with energy, focus and excitement.
“My goal is to roll out there and just do the best that I can ... just lock in and focus,” Columbia runner Renee Henson said 15 minutes before the race. “I don’t have a specific time goal, but I want to have fun with it and feel good about it.”
The marathon and relay are steeped in history, dating back to the inaugural 1960 race. The event is now officially the second-oldest continually running marathon in the U.S. and is the oldest in Missouri.
Columbia residents shared how, for some people not from Columbia, merely mentioning the city has become synonymous with the race.
“It’s a big thing for Columbia,” volunteer Keith Branson said as he greeted runners with their choice of Gatorade or water.
“I’ve been to other parts of the country, and when I say I’m from Columbia, I’ve had one or two people say, ‘Oh, I came to Columbia to run the Heart of America Marathon,’” Branson said.
That sense of local pride carried into the morning with low humidity and cool conditions.
“The crowd’s been great for us, as you can see,” said Bob Snow, a Pierpont General Store employee. “As a business, we’re just here to (show) support and make everyone comfortable for a good cause, and it’s just been a perfect morning for us.”
Behind the scenes, the marathon organizers put in a lot of legwork to ensure everything ran smoothly from both a safety and organizational standpoint. Some of the safety efforts specific to this race include 13 aid stations spread across the course and an ambulance from Boone Health on standby.
Miller, who served as the main director of the race, said that it is all thanks to the multi-generational group of organizers and volunteers and their wealth of experience.
“Usually, it’s a multi-team effort,” Miller said. “We have a committee that works, and there’s multiple people there that have been doing this for over 30 years. Their generational knowledge (and) institutional expertise really allows us to understand, ‘OK, this is what you’ve done before. This is why we’ve done it this way.’”
While not a member of the committee, former runner John Wilkes has run the Heart of America Marathon four times, with his first at age 36. On Monday, he sported a vintage Heart of America ringer T-shirt.
Now in his 80s, the retired runner said despite later completing marathons in London, Honolulu and Chicago, the Heart of America race has remained his standard for what a marathon represents.
“Heart of America runners were almost a cult,” Wilkes said. “You will find the completers of this event all have a bond that is very difficult to describe, but it’s almost unique. I don’t sense that completers of other marathons that I’ve competed in have the same relationship with the event.”
For some, these relationships are based on family.
Renee Cohen, marathon supporter and watcher, came to the event alongside her three daughters to cheer on her husband and their father, Jaume Padilla. They held homemade, Pinterest-inspired signs. One read: ”He’s a Runner, He’s a Track Star.”
Cohen said Padilla’s training for the marathon became a true family affair that will have a lasting impact.
“We’ve got some runners that follow in his footsteps,” Cohen said. “So he motivates us as a family to be the best version of ourselves, physically, mentally (and) emotionally.”
Padilla placed fourth in the men’s individual race. The race’s top finishers also carried their own ties to the marathon.
Caleb Termorshuizen of Columbia won the men’s individual race in 2:52:27, and Heather Hunt of Columbia won the women’s race in 3:49:49.
All finishers received medals, and the individual winners also received certificates for a free pair of shoes from local running store Fleet Feet.
For Hunt, part of the race was about who she carried with her mentally. She said she thought about her daughter while running.
”I just want her to see when you stay at something and keep practicing at it, you can get better and better and better,” Hunt said about her daughter, who also runs track and cross country.
Hunt set a personal record Monday — about 45 minutes faster than her previous best.
Termorshuizen had another connection in mind while running. The man who beat him in last year’s race later became one of his best friends and a training partner. The two went on to run the Boston Marathon together.
The Heart of America Marathon serves as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon, Miller said.
When asked what he would tell someone considering a marathon, Termorshuizen said he follows a simple training philosophy that others can follow, no matter their starting position.
“I would say it’s just one mile after another,” he said. “Just get out there and build that confidence. You’d be surprised what you can do after one month, two months, six months, a year. Your body just really adapts, and it can do amazing things if you push it.”
