The Utah CTSI had the privilege of talking to the Clinical Research Unit’s Isaac Simmons. Isaac finished 57th out of 4,000 runners in the St George Marathon in St George, UT on October 5th. We thank him for taking the time to answer our questions and congratulate him on such an impressive accomplishment.
What is your position within the CTSI’s Clinical Research Unit?
I am an EMT/MA in the CTSI research clinic.
What is your favorite part about working for the CTSI?
My favorite part about working for the CTSI would be the nurses and other staff I work with. It's like I have a bunch of extra moms looking after me.
What inspired to you to enter the St George Marathon?
I think I just wasn't thinking straight the day I signed up for it. But really my family is big into triathlons and long distance running so we always like to have something to train for. I come from a family of 5 kids, 4 of them being boys, so we are very competitive when it comes to these types of things.
What special things did you do to prepare for it?
I ran every day and built my miles each week until I felt comfortable running 20+ miles. It took a lot of 4:15am mornings and some 95 degree runs along the way, but they were also my favorite days because they pushed my physical and mental strength to their limits.
How did you manage your pace during the marathon?
I actually did a poor job at following my race plan. My first 7 miles I ran about 35 seconds per mile faster than I had planned but at that point I told myself I couldn't be the fool in that group of runners who dropped back so I decided I was going to hold that pace until my legs gave out. I was pretty much running with an all or nothing mentality to see how far I could push myself. I was able to hold the almost the whole race despite suffering like I never have for the last 5 miles.
Which marathon is next on your calendar?
I don't have any marathons coming up soon but the next marathon I'm thinking about doing is the 2026 Boston Marathon. It has always been a dream of mine to race at Boston, so I want to make sure I have the time to be properly trained. I am also thinking about doing the Ogden marathon next spring but taking it more lightly and having a good time. I always tell myself I'm going to be done with running but then I always end up coming back.
