Dustin Hurd and his big brother Cody like to run marathons. Cody has run 54 marathons and Dustin has run 27.
Dustin has qualified several times for the Boston Marathon initially, but when the final cuts were announced he always seemed to fall a little short. After giving up running in 2011, his brother Cody talked him into trying again in 2014. This time, even though he is approaching 40, he felt better and his body responded to training better which meant his times got faster. This year he qualified and made the final cut. He was excited to check that one off his bucket list.
In preparation for the race, the brothers checked the Farmers Almanac which said the weather would be rainy. As the time approached, close monitoring of weather sources showed that the experts seemed undecided. At times it looked like it would be stormy while others said it might be clear. Unfortunately, the stormy opinion was the right one. In many of the neighborhoods they ran through there was snow on the ground from the night before and it rained the entire race. In fact the last several miles were in a massive downpour with 25-30 mile per hour winds. After the race, the brothers spoke with a man who had run 30 Boston Marathons, he said that this was the worst one he has ever run. Dustin and Cody smiled because being from Utah, the last two Ogden marathons were worse than the Boston, so they were right at home. Good old Utah weather.
As they approached the finish line, they were met with great applaud. Thousands of locals come out to watch the race and they love it. Many families have cheered on runners for multiple generations. The crowds are very engaged and love to cheer. They make eye contact and wish every competitor the best. “It is an amazing experience,” said Dustin.
In all there were 25,000 athletes who finished the race and 300 of those were from Utah and at least two of those were from right here in Pleasant View. In fact this year also had a surprise second place finish by a local Ogden girl and Weber State Alum Sarah Sellers. Congratulations Dustin, Cody and Sarah. Great job!