Jared Ward
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 Ward at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 9, 1988 Layton, Utah, US[1] |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Weight | 135 lb (61 kg) |
| Sport | |
Event(s) | Mile, 5000 meters, 10,000 meters, marathon |
| College team | BYU |
| Turned pro | 2014 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 5000 meters: 13:34.74[2] 10,000 meters: 28:36.15[2] Half marathon: 1:01:42[2] Marathon: 2:09:25[2] |
Jared Ward (born September 9, 1988) is an American long-distance runner. He qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics when he placed third in the marathon at the 2016 US Olympic Trials.[3] He finished sixth at the 2016 Olympics.
Jared Ward was born in Layton, Utah[1] and attended Davis High School.[4] His sister Anna and her husband are also competitive runners.[1]
Ward has a master's degree in statistics from Brigham Young University.[citation needed]
Career
In addition to his athletic career, Ward teaches statistics at BYU as a member of the adjunct faculty.[5]
Running career
Collegiate
While in college, Ward ran for the BYU Cougars. While at BYU, Ward ran in the NCAA Cross Country Nationals in each of his four seasons. Ward's peak came during his junior season when he finished 8th at Pre-Nationals, 1st at the West Coast Conference Championships, 3rd at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships, and 14th at the 2012 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. Following his BYU career, Ward signed with Saucony.[6]
Professional
Ward was the runner-up at the 2014 U.S. Marathon championships.[7] At the 2015 USATF 25 km Championships Ward finished 1st defeating Matt Llano, Christo Landry, Abdi Abdirahman, Augustus Maiyo, and Brett Gotcher.[8] At the 2015 USATF 20 km Championships Ward finished 1st defeating Dathan Ritzenhein, Luke Puskedra, Tyler Pennel, Abdi Abdirahman, and Fernando Cabada.[9] Ward is also the 2015 U.S. Marathon champion.[10] These three victories helped him secure the USATF Running Circuit title for 2015.[11]
On February 13, 2016 Ward finished third, behind Galen Rupp and Meb Keflezighi 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.[3] On August 21, 2016 Ward finished 6th, with Galen Rupp in 3rd and Meb Keflezighi 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.[12]
