MVHS Alum. Finishes His Fourth Boston Marathon

By NICK YAMASHITA

The Progress

A Moapa Valley High School alumnus has run in the prestigious Boston Marathon multiple times. Jared Nelson, a 1994 MVHS graduate, completed his 4th Boston Marathon last month on October 11, 2021.

Nelson had recently competed in the event in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Unfortunately, the Boston Athletic Association canceled the 2020 race due to the pandemic. It was later held “virtually” in October 2020, with people running in their own areas of the world and recording their run.

Jared completed this year’s marathon in 3 hours and 10 minutes with an average of 7:16 per mile. This 125th Boston Marathon time was his best, and he ran in the top 10% of men in his age group of 45 and up.
“Running keeps me young and more energetic,” stated Jared. “Plus it gives me a killer bod.”

Jared Nelson ran his first marathon in June 2015 at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota. Since then he has run a total of 15 marathons, including the four times at Boston and a most recent marathon in Indianapolis.
“I enjoy the challenge that running brings,” said Jared.

Jared does a daily early morning run before going to work. He takes longer runs on Saturdays that are sometimes as far as 20 miles. These workouts take him all around the rolling hills of Iowa City and surrounding towns where he lives.

Friends and colleagues frequently comment on having seen him out running and often share the enthusiasm of his accomplishments through words of encouragement and support.

The Boston Marathon was first run on April 19, 1897. The first winner was John J. McDermott with a time of 2:55:10.

Jared Nelson is the son of Rod and Kathy Nelson of Overton. While in high school, he competed in basketball and tennis with some track for conditioning. “Red” (as friends called him) competed with friends in intramural and frisbee football in college and ran a few half-marathons with little training.

After college, he dove into medical training and family life, including some church basketball and an occasional fun run. After finishing a fellowship in musculoskeletal radiology in 2011 and welcoming his youngest child of 5 with his wife, Maryanne, he began running more regularly.

Jared is now a radiologist in Iowa City, Iowa. He just ran the CNO Financial Group Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. At one time that race yielded his best record time of 2 hours and 59 minutes. It was his 3rd time running the marathon.

When he is visiting Moapa Valley, He can often be seen running where he first started his love for running long ago.
“Running is a stress relief for me,” said Jared. “It gives me clarity of thought. If you see me running, chase me down and give me a high five.”

The Boston Marathon will be returning to April in 2022, as it is customarily held around the Massachusetts holiday of Patriots Day. Jared plans on being patriotic again and running his 5th time.