A chance encounter in Miami at the Miami Marathon Race Expo in 2015 led to us connecting with Jason Roering from Minnesota.  We’re super excited to meet Jason again this December in Negril when he makes the trek to run the Reggae Marathon 10K. Jason graciously shared his running story with us:

I was born in Minnesota and like many children, loved to run. When I was older and in high school sports, running was part of the work required. When I completed college athletics running left my life for the most part, like many athletes who ran for the purpose of conditioning for other athletic competition. I played football and wrestled in college, and running was always a part of conditioning in order to perform in athletic competition. Most people wouldn’t think the football linemen, or the heavyweight wrestlers, would enjoy the running part.

Quite a few years had passed since College, when I was invited to run in a 5K race in Minnesota. I  justified the idea of wanting to complete the athletic accomplishment, as many say they couldn’t or wouldn’t ever complete a 5k race. I decided to complete this race because I knew training for it would improve my health, as I had been working primarily in an office and wasn’t as active as I wanted to be. But, I didn’t want to race in a month, I wanted to prepare. Research showed me three months was adequate to condition as a runner for this race. This put me at January, but I didn’t want to run in the cold and I didn’t want to put it off. I researched the warmest State and it was Florida, with Miami Beach being the warmest City. I found the Tropical 5K to be the perfect race for me in the end of January, 2015.  This is a part of the Miami Marathon race series, and registration takes places at the Miami Health and Wellness expo.

At the expo in 2015, I was given a promotional hand out for the Reggae Marathon. I didn’t even think about if I would be running a second 5K, but I said I will see you one day to the very positive, wonderful representative of the Reggae Marathon and of Jamaica. When I saw the shortest distance offered was a 10K, I didn’t really want to think about truly training for 6.2 miles. My longest run two weeks before the 2015 Tropical 5K was 4 miles and it felt great.

I read about technique; got a good breathing pattern down, had decent form, and got mental cadences in place and my focus and discipline down, and could run. I accrued a good amount of miles each week and logged them. It was a steady progression and well calculated. I set a goal for under 30 minutes, and I made it with a time of 29:14. Someone after the race said something about ‘imagine next year if you keep up your training’, and at that point I decided I wanted to return. I completed the Tropical 5K in 2015, 2016, and 2017 and am registered for the Reggae Marathon 10K this December.

I chose to race in the Reggae Marathon 10K this year to enjoy some of the island weather while it is cold in Minnesota, and also I am stepping up to the challenge of completing the longer race. I believe in always making progress and heading in a positive direction, and I felt this race was the perfect challenge for me. I’m looking forward to relaxing in and enjoying the warm Jamaican sun, and to completing the Reggae Marathon 10K, December 2nd, 2017!

A chance encounter in Miami…Love It!  Will you be our next chance encounter this weekend in New York City at the New York Marathon Race Expo?