Sports

Culver City's Shamar Jones Running the Marathon for His Dad

Jones' father passed away the morning after he ran his first L.A. marathon in 2004. He's run it every year since and will be running for his dad once again this Sunday.

Shamar Jones is running for his Dad.

Prior to his father being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2002, Jones confesses he hadn’t run more than two miles in his entire life.

Speaking with Patch via telephone ahead of Sunday’s L.A. Marathon, the Culver City resident who works as a student advisor at UCLA’s School of Medicine, Jones said the idea to run his first marathon came about after his father began to deteriorate in 2003 and could no longer walk.

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“I spent a lot of time with my Dad,” Jones recalled. “And we had a lot of conversations about just having the simple ability to go outside and run.”

Knowing that his father was losing that ability, Jones said it made him want to do something “different and challenging. So I thought I’d jump into a marathon.”

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Although the motivation for running was to make his father proud, Jones confessed to being wholly unprepared for the race.

“I was absolutely miserable,” he said. “I ran a solid six miles before I realized I was in trouble. I basically walked the entire way from mile 8.”

Jones said he lost all his toenails and was unable to walk in regular shoes for weeks after that first marathon. But he stayed the course, and planned on taking his medal to show his father.

After stumbling home, he went to sleep and planned on taking the medal to his father the next day. The following morning his phone was ringing off the hook. Jones said he thought it was people calling to congratulate him but he was so exhausted and sore from the race the previous day he didn’t pick up the phone for some time.

When he finally did answer, he said, “That’s when I learned my dad had passed in the morning.”

Jones paused before adding, “It was kind of interesting how that happened. I was just so elated from completing the marathon but [after hearing about my dad] that went by the wayside.”

Rather than seeing race day as a time to mourn, though, Jones made the commitment to start a tradition to run the race every year in honor of his father – and he’s stuck to that promise.

“I was motivated to do this. I realized the struggles my dad went through, so I run it every year for my Dad. To handle any type of adversity – that’s something my dad showed me. He was not a bleak person, even when he was sick, and that’s how I approach every race.”
Jones said he enjoys the fact that the L.A. marathon is a significant day for him.

“Obviously it’s something I’m never going to forget. I couldn’t script this. It’s the one day each year for me to run and enjoy and reflect on my Dad and have a great time, and I’m adamant about finishing.”

 

Having run last year’s race in a torrential downpour, Jones says he’s not too worried about the rain forecast this year because he actually likes running in cold weather. “As long as it’s not a flood like last year,” he said, confessing he had to walk most of the way, completing the race “one minute shy of six hours.”

Jones hopes to beat his personal best of 4:28 come Sunday. “I really would like to go 4:00 or 4:10,” he said. “But every time I make a prediction I get nowhere close to it.”

While Jones doesn’t have any running superstitions or a special pair of shorts or t-shirt he likes to wear, he does have a cap that he’s worn for the past 8 L.A. marathons and he’ll wear it again for his ninth attempt.

“Somehow that hat has survived,” he said. “I have no idea why it hasn’t disintegrated but I feel comfortable with it. I think it brings me great luck.”

Jones will be running in Bib # 19630 and Patch will be following his progress throughout the race and plans catch up with him after he crosses the finish line.

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