Jared Ward wins Deseret News 10K — again

The former Olympian reached the top of the podium for the first time since 2023

Published: July 24, 2026, 1:18 p.m. MDT

Jared Ward, 37, wins the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Brogan Houston covers the Utah Mammoth for the Deseret News.

For 2016 Olympic marathon runner Jared Ward, the Deseret News 10K is a training run — but that doesn’t stop him from being competitive.

With a time of 28:04 and a 4:31 mile pace, Ward claimed first place at the men’s event Friday morning.

“As a professional athlete racing all over the world, I just don’t get that many opportunities to run races in Utah,” he told the Deseret News after the race. “But this one has always fit really well.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to work on late summer speed and they get a great field out — sometimes people from across the nation — and it certainly brings out Utah’s best. I’ve always felt so fortunate to have a race such a high-caliber race right in my backyard."

It wasn’t Ward’s first time claiming the top spot at the podium in this particular race. His most recent win came in 2023 with a time of 27:58.

Ward led the pack in Mile 1 before falling to second in Mile 2 and reclaiming the lead in Mile 3. He led from there on out, taking first place by 27 seconds.

The 37-year-old was followed by the 2023 Deseret News Marathon winner, 31-year-old Michael Ottesen (28:31), and 29-year-old Spencer Brown (28:36).

Jared Ward crosses the finish line in first place during the Deseret News 10K race at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Joe Hastings nears the finish line as he competes in the Deseret News 10K race at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Lexie Thompson crosses the finish line in second place for the women during the Deseret News 10K race at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Allie Ostrander crosses the finish line in first place for the women during the Deseret News 10K race at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Autumn Fuchs nears the finish line as she competes in the Deseret News 10K race at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Georgiana Donavin nears the finish line as she competes in the Deseret News 10K race at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Elizabeth Chikots nears the finish line in third place for the women as she competes in the Deseret News 10K race at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Members of the Utah Army National Guard recruiting and retention battalion pose for a photo after completing the Deseret News 10K race at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Dan Jolley nears the finish line as he competes in the Deseret News 10K race at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

From left, Melissa Chavez, Elba Catalina Gonzalez and Edilia Popoca cheer as they near the finish line during the Deseret News 10K race at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Elite runners take the lead during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

From left to right, Spencer Brown, third place, Jared Ward, first place, and Michael Otteson, second place, pose for a photo on the podium after the Deseret News 10k in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

From left to right, Hannah Branch, third place, Allie Ostrander, first place, and Lexie Thompson, second place, pose for a photo after the women’s Deseret News 10k in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Dalton Mortensen, 23, makes his way down to the finish line during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Allie Ostrander, 29, finishes in first place during the Deseret News women’s 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Travis Feeny, 27, runs toward the finish line during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Michael Ottesen, 31, takes second place during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Lexie Thompson, 29, comes in second place during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Spencer Brown, 39, takes third place during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Kandi Rasmussen, 68, approaches the starting line with an American flag during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

A boy rests his head on a shoulder and holds a sign reading “Abi run faster” during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Elite runners begin to separate from the rest of the field early during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Cars drive alongside runners during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Jared Ward, 37, right, leads the pack of elite runners during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Allie Ostrander, 29, pulls ahead from the rest of the female runners during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Allie Ostrander, 29, runs ahead from the rest of the female runners during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Runners make their way down the course during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Chad Berens, 30, during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Michael Ottesen, 31, runs during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

A boy holds a sign reading “GO DADDY GO” during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Allie Ostrander, 29, runs down the course during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Jared Ward, 37, runs during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Jared Ward, 37, runs past a group of spectators during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Runners line up to start the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Runners listen to the countdown and prepare to take off for the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Runners burst from the starting line during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Spectators, many of which camped out for the upcoming parade, watch as Jared Ward, right, runs past them during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Lexie Thompson, 29, greets her husband, Jared Thompson, and kisses their 17-month-old son Ryker after coming in second place during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Tabetha Anderson, left, embraces Molly Memmott, right during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Saydi Anderson, 26, receives her medal during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Joe Hastings, 37, crosses the finish line with an American flag during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Runners make their way to the finish line during the Deseret News 10K race in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

Two runners collapse on the grass after the Deseret News 10K in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 24, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News

‘Every time is like the first time’: Jonathan Kotter returns to the top of the podium at the Deseret News Marathon

In farewell to Utah, Zaylie Paras wins Deseret News women’s marathon

Ward placed sixth in the men’s marathon at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He has also placed as high as seventh at the World Championships representing Team USA.

Despite early-morning start time, Ward said it seemed warmer and more humid than any of the other times he’s run the race as Utah has experienced record-breaking heat this summer.

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The Davis High School product ran at BYU from 2010-2013, where he studied statistics. He went on to earn an MBA from the University of Oxford, and he now teaches as an adjunct professor in BYU’s statistics department.

Ward’s advice to those who aspire to greatness is to just keep going.

“You know, I remember running this race senior year of high school in my old-school racing flats and just torching my legs, and really just pleased to be out racing some of Utah’s best,” he recalled. “And so, you just keep keep putting yourself in it, keep having fun with it.”

For complete race results, click here.

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