SALT LAKE CITY — When Mike Nelson watched his father run marathons, he yearned to run with him.
But his dad, Mark Nelson, and his father’s running friends tried to discourage him.
“I was pretty determined,” said Mike Nelson, who won the Salt Lake Marathon with a time of 2:33:40 on Saturday morning. “(They) really tried to discourage me. They said ’Ten is too young to run a marathon. You can spend all of your adult life doing that.’ They thought I should focus on shorter distances.’ (My dad) definitely didn’t push me into it. But he would just bring me to the races, and it made me want to join in.”
But Mike Nelson wanted to be a part of the races he watched his father finish.
“I felt left out,” he said. “So I persisted. Finally, my dad said, ‘If you do the training, you can do it.’”
At 10, Mike Nelson trained with his 12-year-old cousin and then completed the St. George Marathon.
The 33-year-old Lehi father of six children led from start to finish in winning the first marathon of his career.
“It feels great,” he said. “It was super fun. It was quite a bit slower than my fastest time, and I’m not in all that great of shape.”
Nelson said he ran throughout college and then took about an eight-year break from running of any kind — with one exception.
“I would run the St. George marathon most years, just for the party,” he said. “I had a lot of friends and family going down there every year…I think I’ve done it 16 or 17 times.”
Daniel Bishop, Salt Lake City, finished second with a time of 2:35:21, while Noah Brautigam, Salt Lake City, was third by finishing in 2:36:11.
The winner of the women’s full marathon was Nicole Lyons, Provo, who finished in 2:58.37. Jenny Sperry, Salt Lake City, finished second with a time of 3:01:39, while Jane Durfey, American Fork, earned third by finishing in 3:02:38.
The weather was perfect as nearly 5,000 people participated in the 12th annual Salt Lake marathon events including a half marathon, 5K, bike tour and inaugural 10K skate.
Nelson said he didn’t go into Saturday’s marathon expecting to win until he got to the start line.
“I know most of the running community,” he said. “I didn’t see anyone there I couldn’t beat, so I thought I had a shot.”
For complete marathon results go to www.saltlakecitymarathon.com.
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