All the streets downtown are blocked by the cops and crazy people are running through the streets. It's not a prison escape, just marathon season.
DePauw is well represented at nearby events, with junior Morgan Busam and sophomore Patrick Ledwidge both running in half-marathons this week. Busam ran The Flying Pig in Cincinnati on Sunday and Ledwidge is running the Indianapolis Life 500 Festival Mini-Marathon this weekend. It was Busam's first half-marathon ever and she is now training for her first full marathon in Chicago in August. This will be Ledwidge's third competitive race.
Both runners trained extensively for the events.
"I started training in January for the race in May," Ledwidge said. "I know people that started later; I just wanted to make sure I was prepared. I didn't want to feel like I had to cram in some mileage towards the end my training."
Planning was also a key step in the training process.
"First and foremost you really need a set training schedule, especially for a full marathon," Busam said. "26.2 miles is not something you can just go out there and wing."
She runs four to five days per week with a few days of lifting thrown in as well.
Ledwidge and Busam both get a sense of personal accomplishment from their running, which keeps them going through all of their intense training. Training for a long race a nice contrast from the short-term goals of school according to Ledwidge.
"It's not like a test in which you are studying only a week or so before," he said" It's awesome to see your physical and mental strength grow over a longer period of time."
It is more than just getting in great shape, running has other benefits for the athletes.
"Running is my mental vacation each day," Busam said. "As one foot hits the pavement after the other, I focus on taking my stress and worries out on the ground."
For Busam in her first and Ledwidge in his third, their hard work continues to pay off and both agree that there is nothing quite like finishing that first race,
"I would look to my left and look to my right and see runners beside me smiling and encouraging me to keep trucking," Busam said. "Naturally the best moment of all was seeing that finish line and breaking into a sprint eager to say I am a half-marathon runner! It's a moment you will never forget."
Both runners also agree that it is an addictive feeling and with the races Ledwidge has completed, he can attest to that. He enjoyed the Indy marathon, which he completed at the end of his freshman year, and said he is going to do it again.
"When I finished the race, it seemed like a perfect culmination of my first year at DePauw," he said.
