Jared Ward holds a masters degree in statistics from Brigham Young University and now teaches several stats courses at BYU. So it’s no shocker that he is given to statements like, “Every marathon presents a whole new set of data points that you can study to prepare for your next marathon.” Typical geek talk.
More surprising, when it comes to his overall running philosophy, Ward, 27, doesn’t rely on t-tests, advanced algorithms or “the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for uniformity” (a term he actually used in his masters thesis). For his running, he needs no more than elementary school math.
“Ever since high school, where I only ran 40 miles a week, I’ve focused on making incremental improvements in my running,” he said. “Every season, and every year, I try to run just a little more, a little harder, and a little faster.”
Ward’s steady upward progress reached a new peak on February 13 in Los Angeles, where he finished third in the Olympic Marathon Trials. That landed him the last spot on the team headed to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympic Games. Part of a large pack that hung together through the first 13.1 miles, Ward dropped to fourth when Tyler Pennell surged at 16 miles. “I didn’t know if anyone else could hold Tyler’s pace, but I knew I couldn’t sustain it,” he said. “I also knew that a marathon isn’t like a track race where you have to cover every move. I switched to a plan of managing the fastest pace I could maintain to the finish.”
Four miles later that strategy paid off, as Ward passed Pennell, moving into the crucial third position. Of course there were still six miles to go, and a marathon is never over until the skinny guy brings it in. Ward had moments of excitement—“Sure there was an adrenaline rush when I passed Tyler”—followed by miles of fear and trepidation. “I felt chilled at one point, which I knew was a sign of dehydration,” he said. “I thought every stride might be my last. I absolutely never felt certain of finishing third until maybe the final half mile.”
In the final miles, he began to see visions in his mind’s eye. Hallucinations? The front edge of a blackout? Fortunately not. Instead, Ward reviewed all the people who have made such important contributions to his life: his parents, his high school and college coaches, his training partners, his wife. “I was feeling so thankful for all the individuals who had helped me get to this position.”
Born and raised in Utah at about 4,500 feet of elevation, Ward ran his first timed mile in a third grade PE class, clocking a 7:20. Three years later he cracked 7:00. He still recalls the tingle of excitement he felt over the self-improvement and the barrier-breaking.
Ward played soccer through most of his school years, but remembers that running produced a different and highly motivating kind of reward. “It wasn’t so much about competing against other teams or other runners,” he said. “At the end of the day, you’re really only going against yourself and your limitations. It’s more mind over body. I enjoyed trying to push my body harder than it wanted me to go.”
Ward’s high school coaches brought him along slowly, believing his best days lay ahead. They never pushed him beyond 40 miles a week (in six days, because his Mormon faith requires rest and reflection on Sundays). In the fall of 2006, he finished second in the Utah state cross-country meet, then shocked many observers by grabbing eighth place in the Foot Locker West Region. That brought him a ticket to Foot Locker Nationals, where he finished 22nd in a race won by Ryan Hall’s brother, Chad. “Being at Foot Locker was such a blast it made me hungry to reach more events of a similarly high level,” Ward said.
But first he spent two years on Mormon mission in Pittsburgh, his life so tightly controlled that he was allowed only 30 minutes a day for exercise. You had to stick with your mission companion, and if he wasn’t a runner, you didn’t run. Ward gained 20 pounds and lost much of the fitness he had gained in high school. On the other hand, the mission experience offered many imponderables. “I grew so much emotionally and spiritually during that time,” he said. “I gained a sense of who I am and who I wanted to be, and developed a stability that has helped my running career.”
Of course, these things didn’t become clear immediately. His first cross-country season at BYU proved discouraging. He was out of shape, kept getting injured, and fell far short of his lofty ambitions. One day he sat in Coach Ed Eyestone’s office and poured out his woes. Eyestone listened with the wisdom of a guy who had been one of America’s top distance runners from the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s, and a top collegiate coach since. Then he offered an alternative view.
“He told me to go back to what I enjoyed most about running, and not to focus overly on my biggest goals,” Ward said. “He suggested that I concentrate more on gradual improvement and small goals, and that I should practice feeling good when I reached them. He wanted me to run season by season and aim for continuous improvement.”
The formula worked. While never a national headliner like, say, Galen Rupp, Ward left BYU having placed 14th in the NCAA cross-country championships and with track bests of 13:34.74 (5,000 meters) and 28:36.15 (10,000 meters). He was becoming one of America’s better distance runners, yet few had ever heard of him.
That began to change when he stepped up to the marathon. He ran his first serious marathon at Chicago in October 2013, finishing in 2:16:17 despite nutrition and hydration issues. (He has a sensitive stomach and some marathon products don’t settle.) A year later he improved to 2:14:00 at the 2014 Twin Cities Marathon.
Related: Jared Ward’s Top Five Tips for Marathon Success
In 2015, Ward enjoyed an almost perfect year, beginning with a fast second-place finish (1:01:42) in the USA Half Marathon Championships in Houston. Two months later he won the USA Marathon Championships on a hot day in Los Angeles, improving his PR to 2:12:56 while gaining a valuable dress rehearsal for this year’s marathon trials. He also won USA Championships at 20K and 25K in 2015, and finished the year as the No. 1-ranked runner on the USATF Running Circuit.
All this set the stage for his most important race yet, the trials on February 13. He believes two things led to his success: a sound strategy and extreme hydration. Before the race, he and Eyestone, who continues to coach Ward, settled on a plan of “educated decisions.” Ward wanted to run even pace, as always—he had recently completed a masters degree thesis titled “Analyzing Split Times for Runners in the 2013 St. George Marathon”—but this was the trials, so he also had to finish in the top three. The two goals can prove tricky companions. You only get to run the race once and are forced to instantly evaluate and act upon your options.
Ward met the challenge, letting go when he needed to, and running hard when it counted. “Jared is so smart, he’s got such a solid head on his shoulders,” said Eyestone after the marathon. “His smarts paid off today.”
Several years ago, after some trial and error, Ward found that he felt and performed best on hot days with the sports drink Glukos. The company has become one of his primary sponsors, along with Saucony. At the trials, he grabbed his Glukos bottle at every fluid station, and followed it by taking water at the next table. When he grabbed wet pieces of cloth on the course, he didn’t squeeze water over his head. Instead, he sucked them dry. “Staying hydrated is one of those things you have to learn to manage in a hot marathon,” he said. “I think it’s a big deal to take on as much as you can. In Los Angeles, I was drinking right to the edge of a sloshy stomach.”
After the trials, Ward and family (including two young children) took a Mexican cruise. He didn’t run at all and said, “I can’t imagine a better way to chase down a marathon than with a cruise.” He takes similar breaks three to four times a year, and considers that rest an important part of his annual program. When he begins training again, he is careful to spend several weeks building up to the 120-miles-in-six days regimen at the heart of his heaviest training.
Consider the many cycles in his running life. Two years off, with almost no running, after high school. A total rest day, Sunday, every week. Quarterly recovery weeks followed by a gradual return to intense workouts. “The training cycles seem to work well for me,” Ward said. “I think they have been an important factor in my steady improvement.”
Another essential ingredient: He thrives on marathon training. He seems to have been built for it. “I’ve obviously been blessed with some genetic characteristics that serve me well in longer distances,” he said. “But I also love the whole process. I get really excited before my 10-mile tempo runs and my 24- to 25-mile long runs.”
Ward has reached the level now where he stands on marathon start lines next to guys who can run close to 13:00 minutes for 5,000 meters—a full 30 seconds quicker than his best. Does this bother him? Is he intent on improving his track speed? Nah. “They’re not going to be running 13 minutes at the end of a marathon,” he said. “My strength is my strength, and I hope to continue leveraging it going forward.”
His newly-gained Olympian status has made Ward a popular man around town. On a recent Friday morning, he spoke first to the BYU President’s Leadership Council. There he thanked the university for the way it has supported and shaped him. Next he found himself in front of an elementary school class, where he talked about goal-setting and working hard to attain your dreams. “I enjoy the public speaking,” he said. “It gives me a nice opportunity to say thank you to the many people who have helped me reach whatever feeble accomplishments I have achieved.”
Since Eyestone competed in two Olympic Marathons (1988 and 1992), with a best of 2:15:23 for 13th place in the 1988 Barcelona Marathon, Ward and his mentor have talked often about the Olympic experience. Mostly, Ward has found the discussions reassuring. “He told me I’ll sleep better before the Olympics than I did before the Olympic trials,” Ward said.
Beyond that, they have a two-pronged game plan for Rio. First, get as fit and healthy as can be. Second, Ward says, “Coach wants me to treat the Olympic Marathon as just another day in the office. He wants me to remember that I’ve raced thousands of times in the past, and the tactics and attitudes that worked then are the ones I should follow in the Olympics.”
The men’s marathon will conclude this summer’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics on August 21. To compete in the Games, Ward says, is an opportunity he has dreamed about for a long time. “I’ll be telling myself to stay composed, that’s for sure,” he said. “But at the same time I’ll be excited that I’m running for more than just me and my family. I’ll be running for all of America.”
