Most people would agree that races begin at the start line – seems reasonable. However, Jesse Joseph, the winner of the men’s division of the Eugene Half Marathon, isn’t like most people.
Joseph sat firm and patient on his competitors, biding his time to make an adjustment and win in a time of 1 hour, 6 minutes, 14 seconds. He ran a 5:04 mile pace.
“The first half of the race is just to make you get tired,” said Joseph. “The race really starts in the second half … that’s when in my head I was like, ‘All right, this is when I got to start making moves around here.’”
The race started conservatively. Joseph was in the top four from the start, as the group breezed through the first half of the race. As they approached Mile 8 and its hill, a runner dropped, leaving only a trio with less than five miles left.
Continuing through the incline, another runner began to fade, leaving only Joseph and South African Jaime Riddle battling for the lead. Joseph said it’s this portion of the race where he began to flirt with potential advancements.
Joseph took the lead up the hill, pushing the pace to show he was serious. He ran the hill hard and maintained control and comfortability on the downhill.
The top three finishers of Sunday’s races were rewarded with the main ingredient to every runner’s favorite post-run meal – pancake mix.
“I’m super into that,” Joseph said. He spoke about a failed, elaborate attempt at making pancakes only a couple weeks prior. “We really just needed this, I think.”
In preparation for this race, which was held for the first time since 2019, Joseph completed weeks of training.
“I ran the LA Marathon in November, so I did a 12-week buildup,” he said. “Around 85 miles a week with workouts on Wednesdays and Sundays. Wednesdays I get a little bit of speed in – maybe go to the track. And Sundays I was getting a good amount of threshold-type work.”
Joseph, a Portland native, already has his sights on another marathon – the California International Marathon in December. The fast course appeals to Joseph. As for that race, he was quick to respond with a goal.
“I want to run the Olympic Trials qualifying standard,” he said.
