UD Staff Member Qualifies for 2018 Boston Marathon
Nov 8, 2016
Jose Escoriza, an assistant director of admission at University of Dubuque, qualified for the 2018 Boston Marathon with a running time of 2:59:12 in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Oct. 9, 2016.
“When I looked up and saw the clock, I became extremely emotional,” Escoriza said. “All the hard work and dedication had finally paid off. I set my goals high and to finally achieve them, it’s the greatest feeling in the world.”
Escoriza started running in competitions three years ago to lose weight. He began with 5K races, and then moved to 10K, half marathons, and marathons.
“I started to run marathons because someone told me that it would change my life forever,” Escoriza said. “I will forever respect anyone who finishes a marathon – the amount of training, dedication, and willingness to keep pushing forward when things get hard.”
Escoriza’s strategy was to remain calm and to not “push it” early in the race. He decided to “push it” at mile 25.
“To be in the Top 2 percent of all marathon finishes by achieving a sub-3-hour marathon is the greatest feeling in the world,” Escoriza said. “After failing to qualify to Boston three times, I was faced with reality and wondered if I would ever get there.”
