Jared Ward (born September 9, 1988) is an American

long distance runner Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mensur ...

. He qualified for the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

when he placed third in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon/Results
usatf.org He finished sixth at the

2016 Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro ...

Personal life

Ward has a master's degree in statistics from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

(BYU), and teaches statistics at BYU as a member of the

adjunct faculty An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...

. He is a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

and took a two-year mission to Pittsburgh. Jared and his wife Erica have four children. His sister Anna and her husband are also competitive runners.Jared Ward
. nbcolympics.com

Running career

Collegiate

While in college, Ward ran for the

BYU Cougars The BYU Cougars are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah. BYU fields 21 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity athletic teams. They are a member of the West ...

. Ahead of the 2013 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships, Ward lost eligibility due to running a local fun run in a costume.

Professional

Ward was the runner-up at the 2014 U.S. Marathon championships. At the 2015 USATF 25 km Championships Ward finished 1st defeating

Matt Llano Matt Llano (born August 1, 1988) is an American long distance runner who competes in half marathon and marathon events. He represented his country at the 2014 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. Running career High school Matt Llano was a fo ...

Christo Landry Christo Landry (born April 29, 1986) is a United States distance runner who has won multiple USA Road Championships and holds the American record in the 25 km distance. Education Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Landry attended Thomas Jefferson ...

, Abdi Abdirahman, Augustus Maiyo, and

Brett Gotcher Brett Gotcher is an American long distance runner. Gotcher ran for Aptos High School and Stanford University. At the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships Gotcher finished 64th. At the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships 9 (n ...

. At the 2015 USATF 20 km Championships Ward finished 1st defeating

Dathan Ritzenhein Dathan James Ritzenhein (born December 30, 1982) is a retired American long-distance runner, and current head coach of On Athletics Club. He held the American record in the 5,000 metres (12:56.27) from 2009-2010, when it was broken by Bernard ...

Luke Puskedra Luke Puskedra (born February 8, 1990) is an American long-distance runner who competes over distances ranging from 10,000 meters to the marathon. He grew up in Ogden, Utah and attended Judge Memorial Catholic High School before studying business ...

Tyler Pennel Tyler Pennel (born December 21, 1987) is an American distance runner. Having grown up in Colorado, he competed in cross country and track at Golden High School and subsequently at Western State College. He runs for ZAP Fitness and is known for a ...

, Abdi Abdirahman, and

Fernando Cabada Fernando Cabada Jr. (born April 22, 1982) is an American distance runner. He first established himself in the national running scene while in high school when he was ranked among the ten fastest high school boys in the 3200 meters in the United S ...

. Ward is also the 2015 U.S. Marathon champion. These three victories helped him secure the

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

Running Circuit title for 2015. On February 13, 2016 Ward finished third, behind

Galen Rupp Galen Rupp (born May 8, 1986) is an American long-distance runner. He competed in the Summer Olympics in 2008 in Beijing, 2012 in London, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and 2021 in Tokyo. He won the silver medal in the men's 10,000-meter run in Lon ...

and

Meb Keflezighi Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi (; Ge'ez: መብራህቶም ክፍልእዝጊ, ''Mebrāhtōm Kifl'izgī''; born May 5, 1975) is a retired Eritrean-born American long distance runner. He is the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the marathon and fin ...

at the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Los Angeles, California, to secure a place on the 2016 US Olympic Team, finishing in 2:13:00 on a warm day. On August 21, 2016 Ward finished 6th, with

in 3rd and

in 33rd, at the Olympic Marathon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, running a personal best time of 2:11:30 with the temperature in the 70s on a drizzly, humid morning.

Competition record

USA National Championships

Road

NCAA championships

2010-2014 Jared Ward Brigham Young University results
TFRRS. Retrieved on October 29, 2017

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Jared Living people American male long-distance runners American male marathon runners Olympic track and field athletes of the United States 1988 births People from Layton, Utah Sportspeople from Provo, Utah Track and field athletes from Utah Brigham Young University faculty Brigham Young University alumni BYU Cougars men's track and field athletes BYU Cougars men's cross country runners Latter Day Saints from Utah American Mormon missionaries in the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics