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Kallup McCoy is pictured after a run in the mountains recently. He will compete at the Boston Marathon April 17.
Jessica Webb
editor@thesmokymountaintimes.com
The Boston Marathon is one of the most iconic races in the United States. It’s also the world’s oldest annual marathon. The 127th Boston Marathon will have nearly 30,000 from more than 100 countries. In just 11 days, Kallup McCoy from Swain County will be among those runners.
McCoy has been running an average of 70-80 miles a week since he qualified for the race last fall. Training has included a lot of easy running and building volume as well as speed and track workouts.
“A marathon is an aerobic race, you have to have a big aerobic engine,” McCoy said. On Friday morning, he had finished his final long run before tapering his training to allow his body to rest before the big race. He described that last run as being like a dress rehearsal and he was pleased with how it went.
“My mileage has ebbed and flowed. I’ve had some injuries, nothing significant, but enough to make me miss some runs during the week here and there,” he said.
He and his coach moved the goal post for the Boston Marathon from 2:35 to around 2:37-2:38, he said, saying he knows a lot will have to go well to meet that goal.
Weather conditions are unpredictable, plus the race includes challenging hills.
“My goal is to be in the .1% of the racers,” he said, hoping to be among the first 300 crossing the finish lines.
To achieve a goal like this, it means making a commitment to your training. McCoy has run through every kind of weather—even on the coldest days— and made adjustments when it comes to injuries.
It’s all about the big picture, because on the day-to-day, the training itself can be monotonous.
“You’ve got to fall in love with the grind and delayed gratification,” McCoy said.
At the same time, running can be therapeutic.
“As an indigenous person, being able to connect with the land I’m running on and recognizing my ancestors were doing something similar, that’s something I’ve really connected with in the last couple of months,” he said.
McCoy has turned his passion for running into a career, as well. He now coaches about 40 runners remotely who live all over the country. He would be the first one to tell you how incredible a reality it is for him.
His faith, gratitude and knowing that he’s been lucky to have so many chances at life when some others haven’t has continued to serve as inspiration, he said.
“I don’t want to waste that; I try to live in a way that I might inspire someone else along the way,” he said.