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Aggie alum easily wins his first wheelchair marathon By
Doug Layne
USU class of 2000 graduate Jeff Griffin won the wheelchair division of the St. George marathon this month in his first marathon. Griffin finished in 1 hour, 26 minutes coming close to setting a course record. Griffin knew that he had the marathon won after he faced the toughest challenge on the course after he went over the hill. "I asked the cop that was tailing me that if he could go back and see how close the next person was," Griffin said. After Griffin was told that he had at least a one-mile lead, he knew he was going to win. "I just took it easy and did not have to go as hard," Griffin said. "Next year I want to crush the record." The victory qualifies him for the Boston Marathon in April 2001. Griffin's life was completely changed when, on Sept. 11, 1995, he was paralyzed in an accident that left him with no feeling from the waist down. The doctors told him that he had no chance to ever walk again. Griffin is determined to prove them wrong. "I know one day that I will walk again and will be great to have everything back," Griffin said He can walk around his house with the aid of crutches and has taken more than 50 steps at one time with no support. Griffin remains active as he has won tennis tournaments and plays for the Utah Wheeling Jazz. He also is the assistant coach for a Little League football team in West Valley. Griffin played football for Ricks College in Rexsburg, Idaho, in1991 and 1994 He graduated from Utah State in the spring of 2000 and is a trust officer for First Security Bank and part-time religious instructor.
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