Fife runners Werner, Mwansa lost junior track seasons to coronavirus pandemic. So they decided to run a marathon
Fife High School distance runners Logan Werner and Chisomo Mwansa were looking forward to their junior track seasons this spring.
As sophomores, the two were among the Top 15 Class 2A runners in the West Central District in the 1,600 meters. As juniors, they were hoping to take the next step and compete for a spot in the state meet.
And then, just like that, it was all gone. The coronavirus pandemic forced the shutdown of schools, and with it, athletics, wiping out the entire spring sports season.
“We were really ready for some droppage in our times,” Mwansa said. “Getting it stripped away was tough.”
For the duo, who are close friends, it felt like all the way and preparation they had done in the offseason — physically and mentally preparing for track in the spring — was wasted effort.
So one day, when Werner and Mwansa were on a 15-mile run, they came up with a new goal, something to set their sights on and work toward: Running a marathon. Each week, they’ve been adding three miles to their longest run to prepare for the challenge.
“It gave us a different goal to look forward to,” Mwansa said. “We were so set on making up the state meet. Stepping up our mileage was another light in the tunnel.”
Werner said it was something to break up the sometimes monotonous nature of running. Having a real, tangible goal has been motivating.
“We were both down for the idea,” he said. “We aren’t really running it for time. We just want to do it to say we’ve done a marathon. It’s something to change it up for all these months.”
With COVID-19 still a legitimate, ongoing concern, most official marathons and distance runs, regularly scheduled during the summer months, have been cancelled. So Werner and Mwansa will be tracking the marathon on their own — Mwansa, with a Garmin watch and Werner, with the Nike Run Club app on his phone.
They’ll most likely attempt the 26.2 mile run on Saturday, June 20, and plan to run a loop that includes industrial Fife, Edgewood, the Milton Interurban Trail, the Pacific Highway and Fife High School on the route. Werner, who said he has a “sneaking suspicion” that some family members will show up to cheer the duo on once they past the 20-mile mark, said they’re feeling confident they’ll be able to complete the entire marathon.
“I don’t think it’s going to be too challenging, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” Werner said. “I’ve heard about hitting that lull at 22, 23 miles. I’ve seen videos of people, their legs can’t handle it anymore, and they just drop to their knees. We’ll have to bring a snack along the way. Running three hours, once you take a step back and look at it, it’s definitely a lot.”
Mwansa said he’s also feeling confident. The teammates aren’t aiming for a specific time or a particular pace. They just want to say they’ve run a marathon. In these strange times, it’s as good a goal as any.
“Hopefully a crowd will get us going,” Mwansa said.
This story was originally published June 17, 2020 at 5:22 AM.
