"Give it more Ueli!" Defying gravity and good sense, the Running Jokes celebrate their fifth Portland Marathon.
"Give it more Ueli!" Defying gravity and good sense, the Running Jokes celebrate their fifth Portland Marathon.

Scrappy Runners Storm Portland Marathon

Students, alumni, professors, staff, and associated life forms go the distance.

By Chris Lydgate ’90 | October 9, 2017

Hearts thumping, arms pumping, and legs jumping, a scrappy crew of Reed runners stormed the Portland Marathon and Half-Marathon on Sunday, marking the fifth year in a row that a Reed team has participated in the landmark event.

Reed’s fastest runner in the marathon was biochem major Trevor Soucy ’18, who crossed the finish line in a scorching 3:00:36, a result that was all the more impressive since it was his first-ever marathon.

“Those extra 36 seconds it would take for me to drop below 3 hours may haunt me a little, but for my first marathon, I really am proud of myself,” says Trevor, who is writing his thesis on the role of the protein PerC in pathogenic bacteria.

“Crossing that line and seeing the clock below the 3:05 mark (the Boston Qualifying standard for my age group) was just such a relief to see all my training pay off. My legs are very upset with me and I'm definitely waddling around campus, but I am very proud.”

The fastest runner in the half-marathon was English major Jacey De La Torre ’20, who clocked 1:45:47. “This year felt so much faster than last year,” she told us. “My strategy was to start strong and stay strong, but I definitely sped up at the end. I think there was so much adrenaline in my system... So going forward, I'm going to have to tell myself that I'm stronger than I think.”

Jacey also gave a shout-out to her running partner, econ major Ryan Kobler ’20, who followed her by a scant two minutes.

Another pair of training partners who posted competitive times were Prof. Jim Fix [math] at 1:46:17 and Prof. Jamie Pommersheim [math] at 1:48:56.

Other members of the Reed team (aka the Running Jokes) included John Cushing ’67, Sebastian Pastore ’88, Chris Lydgate ’90, Lucas Fagen ’19, Robert Irvin ’19, Gabriel Yeung ’19, Isadora De Castro ’21, Prof. Johnny Powell [physics], Prof. Michael Pitts [psychology], Tony Palomino, Dayna Lamb, Donovan Mattole, Tess White, Debby Bridges (who placed first in the women's half race walk), and doubtless more.

Turnout for the marathon was lower than in some previous years, due in part to some unfortunate controversies that dogged the event this summer. But the Reed runners prevailed, thanks to stalwart support from President John Kroger, sterling logistical backup from Todd Pangilinan in Conference and Events Planning, and organic guidance from Michael Lombardo in the Sports Center.

Tags: Health/Wellness, Awards & Achievements, Campus Life