Jayden VanMaurick '22's Fire and Love of Competition Fueled Three-Year Journey to Boston Marathon

Jayden VanMaurick knew he still had a fire in him.

It was the spring of 2023, after he had finished up his grad-transfer year at Calvin University following a four-year career at Albion as a member of the cross country and track & field teams.

He finished his collegiate career with personal records in three events but yearned for the competition that had dedicated him to the sport as he entered post-college life.

Something needed to stoke the flame.

He found it training for marathons, setting a goal to one day run the prestigious Boston Marathon — the world’s most famous annual marathon. 

VanMaurick first got the inspiration from former Albion assistant coaches, MariKate Murphy and Annika Manning (Sueschek), who had previously run in the event.

“Both of them made Boston sound like the race of a lifetime and that it was such an honor for them to get to complete it,” VanMaurick said. “I also had so much fun competing in races while in school, and I just wasn't ready to give it up. Opportunities were available around Michigan and elsewhere to run on the roads, so I figured why not try it.”

Working as an administrative assistant at a church in his hometown of Holland, Mich., VanMaurick began building a training regimen with advice he got from Murphy, Manning and a few Albion alums who had ran the Boston Marathon in the past.

He was aware that the training was going to be much more challenging than it was in college, especially with having to balance it around having a job and his personal life.

Using methods he learned at both Albion and Calvin from his coaches while modifying it to build up to run a marathon, VanMaurick ran 60-70 miles six days a week (with Sundays off). 

“It definitely had its challenges, but I just tried to stay dedicated,” he said.

VanMaurick built up his mileage over two years with training partners before he even ran his first marathon. In the meantime, he competed in various 5K, half-marathons and 25K races to ramp up before deciding on Traverse City’s Bayshore Marathon in May 2025 as his initial crack at earning a qualifying mark for Boston.

“I didn't want to just go to some random, small marathon,” VanMaurick said. “I was looking for something flat and fast but also somewhere that had the competition to push me to get that qualifying time.”

He also needed to be able to focus on learning how to fuel up during a marathon, like knowing how to take water cups that are passed out to runners on the course and when to consume the energy gels they are allowed to utilize during competition.

Most importantly, he made sure his mental game was on cue to reassure himself that he would be in a solid position to achieve his goal.

VanMaurick finished in two hours and 47 minutes — seven minutes under his age group standard to qualify for Boston.

“I felt really good about it, and I was very excited, but I didn't want to celebrate until I put my time and application in and got that acceptance email from the Boston Athletic Association,” he said.

Since VanMaurick’s mark was so far under the standard, he knew he had a strong chance to get into the competition. However, he still had to wait until September when he would officially hear back.

He was overflowing with joy as he found out he qualified — his fire still able to burn making the two-year buildup worth every second.

“I qualified for Boston on my very first marathon, which is pretty unheard of,” VanMaurick said. “I just owed it all to my coaches and the Albion alums who encouraged me and granted me their advice to make this all possible.”

VanMaurick relied on Murphy and Manning once again as they helped prepare him for the road ahead to April 20, 2026. There was the logistics side, as most competitors pay their own way to the event. There was also the 26.2-mile course itself, starting in the suburban town of Hopkinton making its way east before ending on Boylston Street in downtown Boston.

It is known for a downhill start, while the notorious Heartbreak Hill coming around the 20-mile mark — the peak ascent of the physical and mental challenge of the race.

“I knew that the downhill was very deceptive, so I had to make sure that I didn't use all my energy on that,” VanMaurick said. “I had to prepare myself mentally and physically for Heartbreak Hill, because if there was any part of the course that was going to slow me down, it was probably going to be that. It's just something that you have to run up very late in the game, and you're tired and it just adds an extra challenge to the course. We're all trying to get up it together. It's part of what makes Boston special.”

Equipment choices are also key ingredients to success in the race. VanMaurick wore Puma shoes that he broke his personal-best half-marathon time in.

“They gave me just that little extra boost to be able to just run faster,” he said. “I'm grateful I had those to wear on race day.”

Wearing a running jersey, half tights to keep his energy gels in and arm sleeves to keep his arms warm, VanMaurick’s fire burned brightly as he ran confidently throughout the race.

Weather was also on his side, with “perfect” running conditions. It varied from the low-30s to the mid-50s with a consistent tailwind.

It resulted in the 130th edition of the race being a banner year, with the winner clocking in at two hours and one minute breaking the course record.

Once VanMaurick crossed the finish line in the frigid temperatures at the two hour and 49-minute mark, the accomplishment set in.

“I can’t really put it into words,” he said. “It just felt so unreal, and it was just such a big milestone in my life that I dedicated so much time to. To have it become a reality, it's amazing, and it's a great blessing. It's a memory that's going to stick with me for the rest of my life.”

VanMaurick finished in the top 3,000 out of just over 29,000 runners — 575 places up from his initial seeding placement. 

With his parents and sisters cheering him on at the finish line, he could not help but become overwhelmed with pride in what he had just achieved.

“The proudest thing about Boston was just seeing it all come together so well on race day — the training, the race plan and strategy and my body holding up the entire run as I was pushing myself the absolute limits to run as fast as I could,” VanMaurick said. “Getting to Boston and finishing Boston is not something that I did by myself. It’s the people who support you and encourage you each and every day to get out the door and get ready to run a big milestone like this.”

VanMaurick admits he underestimated what he could do at Boston and strives to become a multi-qualifier for the marathon. He also would like to complete the American World Majors of marathons — a trio that includes Boston, Chicago and New York — before retiring from running and going into coaching.

It is a fire that still burns, stoked by the desire to push himself to the limit to achieve his dreams.