Northwest Wayne News

Four former Wayne State University cross country student-athletes and the current head coach participated in this year's Boston Marathon on April 21. The athletes who competed were Jeremy Cavallo, Lauren Couls, Zac Truman, and Charlene Yarema.

Zac Truman finished first among the group, clocking in at 2:21:02, and securing the 54th overall position and 50th within his division (M 18-39). Jeremy Cavallo followed, completing the marathon in 2:38:22, ranking 539th in his division (M 18-39).

Grant Lofdahl, the head coach, finished with a time of 3:21:45, which placed him 1,332nd in the M 45-49 division. Charlene Yarema crossed the finish line at 3:23:08, ranking 2,132nd in the F 18-39 division. Lauren Couls completed the marathon in 3:29:26, placing 2,704th in her division (F 28-39).

Coach Grant Lofdahl reflected on his Boston Marathon experience, stating, "It was quite the experience being in Boston and competing in the world's most famous footrace! I qualified for it 28 years ago, before competing in college athletics, and unfortunately dropped out before the 20-mile mark. Getting back there and making it across the finish line was a tough task, but I am happy to say that I got it done!"

He added, "It was awesome to be able to share the experience with several former Warriors. Zac Truman had an amazing finish and proved his elite-marathoner status with a top-60 finish! He got a little help from Lauren Couls, who is a great physical therapist – she has worked with me and some with some of our student-athletes as well – when he had a minor injury flare-up before race day. Lauren crushed her race too, as did Jeremy Cavallo and Charlene Yarema."

Grant concluded by saying, "They will probably all be back and run Boston faster yet in the future, but as for me, I am now retired from marathons!"