Track and Field Blogs - Justin Kopunek

With another Valentine's Day behind us, one might have noticed the abundant number of couples around. Looking around this website, one may even notice that an ample number of elite distance runners are engaged, married, and having children. I am not just referring to the 'one more season before retirement' crowd, either. A high percentage of young distance runners are making their way to the wedding chapel.

In the 1970's the average age for an American to be married floated around 21. Since then, that number has steadily increased and stands in the high-20's today. One group has been driving this average down, however. Used to winning races, elite distance runners have consistently been winning the race to the alter, as well. In comparison to their fraternity rushing collegiate counterparts, these 20-something athletes are rushing down the aisle, making one wonder the reasons behind this trend.

2 time Olympian Dathan Ritenhein was married at 23 and had a daughter, Addison, the following year. He is married to Kalin Toedebusch, a former CU runner. Ritzenhein's Olympic marathon teammate Ryan Hall married his college girlfriend, Stanford All-American Sara Bei, the year prior. Both were 22 years old. Shalane Flanagan, who holds 4 American Distance Records and an Olympic bronze, was married to former Tar Heel Steve Edwards. He is currently her agent and coach. US 2-mile record holder Matt Tegenkamp was also at the age of 24, as was his wife, All American at Michigan State Michelle Carson. Many of you will recall Anna Willard becoming engaged to NCAA All American Jonathan Pierce just days before winning the 2008 Olympic Trials in the couple's signature event, the steeplechase. Both were under 25.

The many professional running couples from the University of Colorado are not an exception. On September 16, 2001, 1998 NCAA XC Champion Adam Goucher married 2000 NCAA XC Champion Kara Grgas-Wheeler (Goucher). The groom was a modest 26, while the bride was a youthful 23. Two and a half years later, Colorado teammates Steve Slattery, 23, and Sara Gorton (Slattery), 22, were married.

This tendency has trickled down to the beyond the professional ranks. If you were in Terra Haute for the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championsips (or on Flotrack), you would have seen BYU senior Kyle Perry finish 10th. You also would have seen his wife on the sidelines cheering. 'But Perry is a Mormon, and they traditionally marry young' you may be thinking. This is true, but it is not just our Book of Mormon following friends getting hitched before they are old enough to rent a car. Oklahoma State captain Ryan Vail proposed to his girlfriend, a former OSU runner, this past summer while in Europe. Additionally, on New Years Eve this past year, Chico State Senior Scott Bauhs popped the question to his girlfriend, insuring a marriage license was as much a part of his near future as a college diploma and pro contract.

In the hills of Boulder, magic was happening both on and off the track. CU 5k record holder Brent Vaughn married fellow Buffalo Sara Ensrud (Vaughn) at 22 and 20, respectively. The couple had a daughter together in September 2006. At the age of 22, future Olympian and NCAA runner-up in the steeplechase Billy Nelson welcomed a daughter with his fiancee. Not to be outdone by his teammates, NCAA 5k runner-up Stephen Pifer had a son at the age of 23 (I believe with 2-time USA Junior XC Champ Laura Zeigle). Just imagine raising a child and training at an elite level, all while still in college. Most student-athletes will find it unfathomable. So why has it become common practice among a small sect of elite distance runners?

One explanation I can surmise is that to become a distance runner competing at the highest level, along with talent, one needs commitment to the sport. As many of us runners have touted in job interviews and personal essays, commitment to running is reflective of our dedicative nature. I am suggesting that how elite distance runners treat their sport transcends every aspect of their lives, including personal relationships. At the highest level, distance running requires a full commitment of mind, body, and soul. The same could be said of marriage and child birth. To commit to a sport so wholly takes a special personality type, one that would bring that same level of allegiance into any relationship. If anything, runners are a loyal breed. Loyal to a sport, loyal to a shoe, and loyal to their mates.

It should be noted that distance running is a highly solitary sport. Even on a long tempo run with a small group, there is very little conversation or interaction. The major exchange going on is between the individual and his or her own mind. When the trainers come off, one would expect that a runner would seek companionship. On top of that, an elite runner bares an immense amount of pressure and stress. Expectations not usually placed on 20 year olds are unloaded on the backs of these young athletes. Having a spouse there for support, I can only imagine, provides a great deal of comfort. It is no coincidence that most of these top-rung track stars are linked up with fellow harriers. Is it that runners are socially awkward and unable to meet people outside the running community? Perhaps, but maybe it takes a mutual understanding of the stresses that come with the sport at a young age to forge strong, lasting bonds that are necessary for survival. The end product of the sacrifice, retrospection, solitude, and pressures that come with running, is a person mature beyond their years. Maybe the typical 22 year old college grad is not prepared for marriage or a baby, but the All-American who just signed with ASICS is and nothing will help them more than a stable support system to run home to. That is, at least, my humble opinion on why this strange phenomenon exists.