Runners Chavez and Schubert-Akin finish Boston Marathon
April 20, 2022
Two marathon runners who are familiar to many readers in the Newsgram area were some of the 28,000 athletes who competed in and finished the 126th Boston Marathon Monday. They are former Alvan Luis Chavez and 1975 Burlington High School graduate Jennifer Schubert-Akin.
This was the third Boston Marathon for Chavez. "It was probably the best one yet! 2:39:14."
Visiting with the Newsgram early Tuesday morning about his Boston experience, when asked Chavez said he placed about 437th out of the 28,000 runners. He said the numbers will change some as officials tabulate the official results.
"The race went well. At the halfway mark I was at 1:15:18 which is a pretty good time and pace. I was a little slower the second half of the race." Chavez said," I got to experience it with friends on their first Boston Marathon!" He told how running with friends was "great." He gave "a huge thank you to Ben Anderson for running the first 14 miles with me and pushing me to keep getting better."
Chavez seemed most excited that his wife Bailey and 13 month-old daughter Blakeley were on the sidelines cheering him on. "Blakeley loves being at races," Chavez said of the many races she's attended in her short life already. "She cheers and waves!"
Blakeley got to cheer for her mom the previous day as Bailey ran the Boston 5K in 21:50, her husband said. From Beaver originally, Chavez was a stand-out runner during his years at NWOSU in Alva where he later coached. He worked at Alva Market most of that time. Almost four years ago the couple moved to Edmond where he is a manager for Red Coyote Running and Fitness in Edmond. He specializes in shoes.
Additionally Chavez does private coaching for runners. He started Oklahoma Project for high school kids. He has a team of youth from the Edmond area and beyond. "I'm giving back to the community for the kids."
Although he loves what he's doing in the Metro area, Chavez said, "I miss the people of Alva." He specifically mentioned Alva's Market owners Randy and Mary Hamilton and all the friends and acquaintances he met while working there.
Schubert-Akin Finishes 28th Consecutive Boston Marathon
You Can Still Donate to Fight MS
When Schubert-Akin ran her 25th consecutive Boston Marathon she became a member of their exclusive Quarter Century Club. After finishing the marathon Monday, she said, "When I ran my first Boston Marathon in 1995, I had no idea of the journey which had just begun. Yesterday, I finished my 28th consecutive Boston Marathon – healthy, strong and injury-free – in 4:18:17!"
"The Boston Marathon is an amazing celebration of the human spirit. Held on Patriots Day each year (the third Monday in April), the entire New England area celebrates the birthplace of American freedom with the beginning of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775. After three long years of pandemic cancellation and rescheduling, I'm pleased to report that Patriots Day is back! The Bruins, Celtics and Red Sox all won in Boston this past weekend, and yesterday's 126th running of the Boston Marathon couldn't have been more perfect – 50th anniversary of women being allowed to run Boston, Adrienne Haslet (who lost a leg in the 2013 bombing) ran the entire race, Henry Richard (whose 8 year old brother Martin was killed in the 2013 bombing) also finished, and Spencer (the beautiful 12 year old golden retriever who holds a flag in his mouth every year at Mile 2.5) was back healthy and strong following chemotherapy.
And, to top it all off, thanks to the generosity of many people, we raised more than $11,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. I'm already looking forward to returning for #29 on Patriots Day 2023 and running the 127th edition of the Boston Marathon – the most amazing celebration of the human spirit."
Schubert-Akin is the sister of this reporter, Yvonne Miller. I've had multiple sclerosis since my mid-20s. This disease slowly progresses through the years in most people with MS as it has me. It robs you little by little of your life with walking and much more. Throughout my sister's running of the Boston Marathon, "Jennifer's Run for MS" raised nearly $160,000 for MS research through the National MS Foundation. If you want to help fight this monster, go to mssociety.donordrive.com, go to "fundraiser search" at top right of screen and type in "Jennifer's Run for MS." There you can donate.
I am so thankful for my sister's efforts in all that she does – "Because I can't walk, she runs for a cure."
My sister always shares this message with potential donors: "This is your chance to make this year's Boston Marathon count! Please give generously. It beats running 26.2 miles, doesn't it?
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