Spencer Johnson, half marathon PR = 1:05:20!

Marist Running Alum Spencer Johnson had a remarkable, more-than-two-minute personal-best time for the half-marathon distance Saturday out in San Diego. Running in a small race in an almost laboratory like setting, Spencer crushed it with a 1:05:20. Spencer has taken his running to a new level out there and we’re excited to see how the rest of the year (and coming years) plays out. He’s planning a trip back to the area in the fall and will be running the Dutchess County Classic marathon, which will be neat. Eventually, Spencer will move back East, but for now he’s making the most of his time out there. He was joined by his old teammate and good friend Saad Baig, who is also living in San Diego now. Good stuff! Here is Spencer’s race report, along with his photos.

The race was called the Yo Daddy Half Marathon due to it being Father’s Day weekend, and was hosted by another local team called Prado Racing Team at Lake Miramar. Like I mentioned, the race was unfortunately unsanctioned because the USATF official wasn’t able to make it to the course last week to certify it due to something COVID related (unsure about all of the details). However, the course was measured by the race official and it’s been used in the past for other small local races.

The race was about 2.6 laps around, and we started at the 1.7-mile mark so we could finish at the parking lot, which a full lap being about 4.92 miles. Overall, I felt pretty smooth the entire race and stayed fairly consistent with my splits, and was fortunate to have two teammates working as bike pacers (pictured below). Former teammate/housemate Saad was also able to make it with his dog Lola to cheer on!

My official time was 1:05:20 (I left my watch running for a bit after the finish line), which was more than a two-minute PR, which I ran last October in 1:07:30. Pretty happy with my training and having a really dedicated, hardworking and talented team to train with out here in San Diego. Looking forward to training hard this summer, maybe finding another half that’s USATF certified, and gearing up for the Dutchess County Classic marathon in September!