Lehrman to run in Boston Marathon
Staff writer
Todd Lehrman of Hillsboro just finished his third marathon. He's been running since high school where he ran track, but he didn't run distance until after he graduated.
Lehrman runs between four and 20 miles at a time, five or six days a week and he likes to run out in the country best.
A marathon is 26.2 miles long, and qualifying times for the Boston Marathon vary by age.
For a male runner between the ages of 18 and 34 to qualify for the Boston Marathon, he must finish a marathon in three hours 10 minutes or better.
Lehrman qualified for the race in April of 2004 at Oklahoma City where he ran a marathon in three hours, nine minutes, and 43 seconds.
At the Austin Freescale Marathon he ran in February of this year, Lehrman finished with a time of three hours, five minutes, and 42 seconds, cutting his time by a little over four minutes.
He ran his first marathon in June of 2002 and didn't run another until April of 2004.
According to Lehrman that was too long, and he got out of shape. In order to be ready for the Boston Marathon, he needed to run another marathon.
The Austin Freescale Marathon held Feb. 13 was Lehrman's opportunity to get ready for Boston, and the training for that marathon will help with the next, according to Lehrman.
"I'm not worried about losing everything now," he said about his training.
Lehrman also has a friend who qualified for the Boston Marathon, and they plan to run the race together.
This year's Boston Marathon will be Monday, April 18. It will be the 109th annual Boston Marathon, and the field size is limited to 20,000 runners.
Lehrman plans to leave for Boston on Saturday, April 16, and will return on Tuesday, April 19 and his parents will be coming from Ohio to watch him race.
"I just want to be respectable in Boston," he said.
Lehrman is the youth pastor for Trinity Mennonite and First Mennonite churches in Hillsboro. He is originally from Ohio and graduated from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va.
Lehrman plans to keep running marathons.
"I haven't gone as fast as I'd like to go yet," said Lehrman. "I'd like to get under three hours, that would be my goal."
According to Lehrman, running is a great activity for those who are able.
"If I inspire other people to run," he said "that's the coolest thing."
