A first-year University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy student finished among the top 3 percent of runners at the Boston Marathon in April, placing 811th out of 29,294 competitors, completing the course with a time of 2 hours and 36 minutes.
Two years ago, Evan Lessard had never run a race. Last month, he crossed the finish line of one of the most prestigious races in the world, the Boston Marathon. That is a remarkable result for someone who laced up his first pair of running shoes as a college freshman just looking to stay active.
"My first ever race was about a year ago, just a local 5K," Lessard says, “and my first marathon was eight months ago in John’s Creek. I signed up about six weeks before the race because I wanted to see if I could qualify," Lessard says. "I ended up running a 2:44, which qualified me for the Boston Marathon."
For the next seven months, he trained by running 45 to 50 miles per week, waking at 5 a.m. most mornings to get miles in before class. Between training, his class schedule and stepping up to leadership roles with Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity, his schedule can get rather hectic. He was also recently chosen as president-elect of the college's Student Government Association.
His mother, a longtime marathon runner who watches the Boston Marathon every year, his dad and his girlfriend were in the crowd to cheer him on.
Lessard has already set his sights on his next goal. He is planning to enter the Kiawah Island Marathon in December, where he hopes to run a 2:28.
"I have some bigger goals moving forward," he says.
Topics: Pharm.D. Program, Student Experience