ROCKWELL — When most 15 year olds get the notion to have a little fun, they pull out a video game.
Not East Rowan freshman A.J. Pearson. He figured he’d run a marathon.
Pearson approached his Mustang cross country coach, Rick Roseman, with that rather scary idea the first week of January.
“When’s the marathon?” asked Roseman.
“In two weeks,” replied Pearson.
Roseman admits he was rendered speechless, as two weeks is not exactly the recommended training time for negotiating the 26.2 miles that constitute a marathon. Lungs and legs ordinarily need more time to prepare for an ordeal of that magnitude.
Not that Roseman doubted Pearson’s ability or resolve.
“A.J.’s enthusiastic, he’s goal-oriented and he’s got a world of potential,” said Roseman. “He was all-conference this year as a freshman, and he was the best middle-school miler in the county last year.
“By the end of our cross country season, A.J. was running in the 17s (17 minutes-plus for the 5K distance) and was placing No. 2 to No. 4 for us.”
Pearson finished 11th in both the Rowan County and 3A North Piedmont Conference cross country meets, which is a nice accomplishment for a ninth-grader.
Still, the difference in running a marathon and a 5K is the difference between a trout and a whale. But Roseman offered his blessing, and Pearson started preparing as best he could for the daunting challenge.
“I run indoor track, so I did my sprint work there, then I’d go home and get in three miles or so for some distance,” said Pearson.
Pearson’s moment of truth arrived on Jan. 19, when he joined the field for the Run For Peace Marathon in Charlotte.
“Everyone was looking at me,” said Pearson. “I guess because not many young people were running. I did try to get some of my long-distance buddies to go, but they said it was just too far.”
Pearson had to figure his buddies were slightly smarter than he was once he surveyed the gruesome conditions that awaited shivering runners. The 19th may have been the most disgusting day so far in 2002 — brutally cold, rainy, miserable.
Pearson wasn’t dressed ideally for the inclement weather, but cruised along for the first 15 miles at a comfortable seven-miles-a-minute pace. By the 20-mile mark, though, he was hurting.
“It was cold, really cold, and my hamstring cramped up,” said Pearson. “It was bad. I had to stop and massage it. And then I had to walk for a few minutes.”
But Pearson stuck it out. He gratefully reached the warmth of the finish line with a surprisingly solid showing, placing third in the 14-19 age group in a time of 3 hours, 54 minutes, 58 seconds. The runners who finished ahead of Pearson were 19 and 18.
Overall, Pearson landed respectably in the middle of a 635-runner pack.
Five days after his inaugural marathon, Pearson was still sore, but the long-distance bug’s bitten him pretty good, so he’s sure to try for an encore.
“Not this week, though,” he laughed. “But I will do it again. It was interesting and it was fun. I met a lot of people.”
Pearson’s next running effort will be in the tough Winter Flight 8K on Super Bowl Sunday here in Salisbury. But it should prove a snap after surviving a marathon.
“I’m proud of A.J.,” said Roseman. “He did something that not a lot of kids are going to do. When I saw the marathon results, I was really pleased for him. This is going to give him a whole lot of confidence.”
That confidence should serve Pearson well when he competes for the East track team this spring. He’ll also be armed with a new perspective on his sport.
“I’ve got a whole different outlook now,” he said. “It used to be I’d just go out and run. But competing in that marathon, I saw so many people who are really serious about running.
“I’ve got a new respect for people who run.”
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