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Gym teacher sparked a fire in Cache Valley marathon runner By
Wade Denniston
NORTH LOGAN -- Have you ever thought what the most important job of a teacher or professor is? According to Mt. Logan Middle School gym teacher Steve Reeder, it is to motivate students. Motivation from Reeder is just what Max Jones needed to get him started in one of his favorite pastimes: running. "If it wasn't for coach Reeder in junior high," Jones said, "I don't think I would have gotten as interested in running as I am. I have thanked him a number of times for getting me started." According to Reeder, it didn't take much motivation to get Jones going in the sport he loves. "Some people can't be lit with a flame thrower on hot, dry day, while others can be lit with a single paper match in a hurricane," Reeder said. "Max Jones is the latter." Jones began his running career in seventh grade when Reeder talked him into participating in a school-wide race. "We were to race against the other PE classes," Jones recalled. "Each class had a couple of participants and I was able to take third in the entire school. At that time, I realized that I could become fairly decent at running. "I have always been a competitive person and when I ran I found that I could do good enough to win once in a while. Therefore, I started to run and have not stopped since." No, Jones hasn't, as is evident by his races in prestigious events such as the St. George Marathon and Boston Marathon. Jones' very first marathon was in 1993 when he competed in the St. George Marathon with a friend. "Although that first race was by far my worst marathon,"* Jones said, "I knew it was only the beginning." Since that debut, Jones has gone on to run in eight St. George Marathons and one Top of Utah Marathon, a 26-mile race in Cache Valley that runs from Hardware Ranch Elk Refuge to downtown Logan. "It was pretty cool because when I finished, my whole family was there," Jones said, about racing in his hometown. "I knew a lot of people that were running. It would've been better if I'd run a better race." The best Jones has ever finished in any of his races was during the 1997 St. George Marathon, where he placed sixth in his division and 43rd overall. "It was by far my fastest marathon," Jones said of his finish in 2 hours, 59 minutes, 11 seconds. At the 2000 St. George Marathon on Oct. 7, Jones finished 178th overall, 25th in his division, and 162nd according to gender. Jones crossed the finish line with a time of 3:07:19.00. Reeder remembered seeing his former student run at the race in southern Utah. "This fall, I went and watched her (his daughter, Daisy) run the St. George Marathon and I saw Max along the way. He acknowledged me -- in fact, stopped and shook my hand -- and as he ran on he asked what he could do for an injury. "I think I said quit running, but he ddn't." While participating in those local marathons was a great experience for Jones, they weren't nearly as exciting as competing in his dream race. "I had a goal ever since I was in junior high that I was going to run in the Boston Marathon," Jones said. Jones achieved that goal in April of 1998. His official time for that race was 2:59:11.00. "My biggest marathon was by far the Boston Marathon," Jones said. "It is like the Rose Bowl of marathons. It doesn't have the biggest turnout (when he ran it, there were 10,307 runners overall), but it is the only marathon -- other than the Olympics -- that you have to qualify to participate in." Jones just relished the fact of being among so many other great runners, especially at the starting point. "To be standing there at the starting line with nearly 11,000 other runners was such a big thrill," Jones said. "Like I said earlier, the Boston Marathon is the Rose Bowl of marathons, the granddaddy of them all. "To be able to participate in the pre-race, the race, and then to have my entire family there waiting for me to finish was such a great feeling. I will never forget all of the thousands of spectators lining the course. It was overwhelming." Added Laurie Jones, Max's wife of 11 years: "Millions and millions and millions of people. . . . It's just amazing to see how many people get out and get involved. The whole blocks were just filled with people hundreds of people deep. You couldn't move left or right." Because there were so many spectators at the prestigious race, Laurie didn't even get to see her husband end the race. "The sad thing is, I coudn't watch him cross the finish line," she said. Jones has lived in the Cache Valley area for much of his life. He went to Logan High School, where he participated in cross country for three years. While in college at Utah State, Jones elected not to go out for the cross-country team. The thought did cross his mind a time or two, though. "Many times while I was going to school I debated about walking on, but I was always busy doing so many other things," Jones said. "I don't have any doubt in my mind that I could have made the cross-country team. "I have beaten members of the cross-country in a number of local races, but such is life." Jones said he is planning on running his next race next spring when he participates in the Los Angeles Marathon. After that, Jones would like to participate in his ninth St. George Marathon later in the fall of 2001. Max and Laurie are the proud parents of two children, 7-year-old Scott and Jonathon, 3.
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