SALT LAKE CITY — Nearly seven years after he surprised everyone by earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic Marathon team, Jared Ward is trying to figure out how to unlock the magic again.
He took a step in the right direction with a win at the Deseret News 10K on Monday morning, but he said it is a delicate balance between pushing himself through new challenges and making sure he's smart about his aging body.
"There's a lot of trade-offs," said the former BYU standout and 2016 Olympian. "I think that your cardio continues to get better. My cardio is so strong. And while the speed goes down, the risk of injury goes up. But there is also some resilience that comes with the added time. The young guys keep getting younger, and they're fast."
Savannah Berry wins the women's division of the Deseret News Marathon 10K race at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Jared Ward wins the Deseret News Marathon 10K race at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Jared Ward wins the Deseret News Marathon 10K race at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Hannah Branch is supported after finishing the Deseret News Marathon 10K race at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Runners celebrates as they near the finish line in the Deseret News Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and 5K races in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Amanda Kelso hugs Alexis Humphries as they finish the Deseret News Marathon 10K race in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
David Tate juggles as he approaches the Deseret News Marathon 10K race finish line in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Tony Stark celebrates as he finishes the Deseret News Marathon 10K race in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Makenna Myler runs in a group during the Deseret News Marathon 10K race on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Jared Ward cruises to the win in the Deseret News Marathon 10K race on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
LaMar Ewell and Frank Liebmann walk away after finishing the Deseret News Marathon 10K race in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
The Deseret News Marathon 10K race starts in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Deseret News Marathon 10K runners make the first turn in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
The Deseret News Marathon 10K race starts in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Deseret News Marathon 10K runners make their way down from Research Park in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Deseret News Marathon 10K runners begin filtering out on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Deseret News Marathon 10K runners make their way down from Research Park in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Deseret News Marathon 10K runners make their way down from Research Park in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Deseret News Marathon 10K race on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Joey Nokes, Habtamu Cheney and Jared Ward lead the Deseret News Marathon 10K race on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Deseret News Marathon 10K runners make their way down from Research Park in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Josh Nichols celebrates as he finishes the Deseret News Marathon 10K race in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Betty Winters celebrates as she finishes the Deseret News Marathon 10K race in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Deseret News Marathon 10K race on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Joe Hastings carries an American Flag toward the finish line Deseret News Marathon 10K race in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Jared Ward cruises to the win in the Deseret News Marathon 10K race on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Joey Nokes and Jared Ward run in the Deseret News Marathon 10K on Monday, July 24, 2023. Ward won the race, with Nokes second. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Savannah Berry takes the women's division win in the Deseret News Marathon 10K race in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Deseret News Marathon 10K race on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Darryl Beardall approaches the Deseret News 10K finish line as he finishes his 50th Pioneer Day Race by Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Habtamu Cheney approaches the finish line of the Deseret News 10K race, taking third, at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Makenna Myler cools off after taking second place in the women's Deseret News Marathon 10K race at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Joey Nokes approaches the finish line of the Deseret News Marathon 10K race, placing second, at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Parker Harris approaches the finish line of the Deseret News Marathon 10K race at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Racers approach the finish line of the Deseret News 10K race by Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Deseret News 10K winner Jared Ward gives a low-five to women's 10K winner Savannah Berry at the finish line at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Deseret News Marathon 10K race medals are pictured at the finish line at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Brad Murray sits down just after the finish line as he completes the Deseret News Marathon 10K race in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Teresa Carling Jones finishes the Deseret News Marathon 10K race in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Diana Brewer runs toward the finish line in Salt Lake City during the Deseret News 10K on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Abhinay Somani finishes the Deseret News 10K in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Runners get ready to run in the Deseret News 10K in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Lourdes Cooke finishes the Deseret News 10K in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Runners get ready to run in the Deseret News 10K in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Kimi Christensen jumps across the Finnish line as she and Missy Omer run in the Deseret News 10K in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 24, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
The 34-year-old Ward won his second consecutive Deseret News 10K with a time of 27:58. Joey Nokes, Riverton, was second with a time of 28:26, while Habtamu Cheney, Provo, was third crossing the line in 29:06.
For the women, Savannah Berry, Orem, earned the win with a time of 31:42. Makenna Myler, Sandy, was second, finishing in 32:47, while Orem's Hannah Branch earned third with a time of 32:54.
Ward said he's been training hard and may run a marathon in the fall to prepare for the Olympic Trials in February. He doesn't need to run the marathon to compete in the Olympic Trials in February, but he said he may want to because it could help the U.S. team.
"It's a complicated system qualifying for the Olympics now, but the U.S. has yet to secure allocations for the men's marathon," he said. "We need to run well this fall, and I think we should have three spots by the time trials roll around. … I'd like to go pull my weight and raise our chances of getting three spots in the Olympics before the trials."
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He said it's also been a while since he had a marathon performance he felt good about.
"I have been sorting out going on thyroid medication because I have Hashimoto's, so my thyroid doesn't work as well anymore," he said. "And I'm still working out how my body reacts to thyroid and stuff. So it's been a couple of years since I felt like I had a good one, and I'd like to run a good marathon to be ready for the trial."
Ward said he felt great after Monday's 10K win, despite the sweltering heat.
He's not sure what the future holds for his running career, but he and his wife plan to welcome their sixth child in December.
"I'm focused on February and the trials right now," he said. "And then we'll make decisions after that."
Berry wanted to prove something to herself when she lined up for the Deseret News 10K Monday morning.
It really had nothing to do with anyone but herself.
"I felt like my college experience, I did alright, but I don't think I was able to tap into how good I can be," said Berry, who graduated UVU in 2018. "My PR was from my sophomore year."
The 27-year-old said struggles with illness and injury robbed her of performing her best in her junior and senior seasons.
"I felt like I had room to grow," she said. "I feel like the half and marathon distances are what I'm best at, but I've been really, really trying to get my speed up."
To do that, she's been running shorter races at faster paces. It paid off Monday as she won in a very strong field with a personal best of 31:42. She plans on running a marathon in the fall, although she's still deciding which one. She also hopes to run at the Olympic Trials in February.
"I definitely feel very, very happy," she said. "It feels like it's been worth the effort to be able to PR."
High school team awards
1. Mountain View.
2. Fremont.
3. Carbon.
10K team boys winners
1. Riverton.
2. Viewmont A.
3. Farmington.
