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Wesleyan's Thompson completes second Marine Corps

Given Drew Thompson’s accomplishment Sunday, his race on Friday in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association’s cross country meet will be little more than a walk in the park. A short sprint, at the most.

The Wesleyan Christian Academy sophomore on Sunday completed the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington. Thompson, 15, covered the 26.2 miles at a steady pace in three hours and 45 minutes. And now he is turning his attention to Friday’s season-ending championship meet and a shot at making all-state at Hagan Stone Park.

“My soreness should be gone,” Thompson says. “I’m guessing by tomorrow, I’ll be almost pain-free. I’m looking to do just as well as I normally would without running a marathon. I want to get in the 16:20s. Hagan Stone always has been one of my faster courses.”

Thompson, the runner of the year for the Piedmont Athletic Conference of Independent Schools (season PR 16:46), also completed the Marine Corps last year (4:47:14), although the race came two days after the state meet. He ran Sunday with not only the endorsement of his coach, Brian Roberts, but also his help.

“He’s definitely pushed me,” Thompson says. “We did a couple of runs during the year that were pretty long with the team. About two of the 10-milers were with the team. He’s been very understanding with me, maybe taking it easy a day or two after the long runs.”

Roberts put his full trust in his fastest runner.

“He’s not going to do anything to compromise something for the team,” Roberts says. “I know he’s a young runner, but I still trust his thoughts and his ideas about running. … He’s a great asset to our team. He really studied how to run, how to train.”

Thompson’s longest training run was 18 miles, five days before the conference meet. Thompson won the race (17:04).

“I thought if he had recovered that well, he’ll recover for the state meet,” Roberts says. “Talking to him the day afterward, he felt sore but didn’t feel tightened up.”

Thompson, who raised money as part of team running for Love Without Boundaries, might have company from his Wesleyan teammates in next year’s Marine Corps.

“There’s about five of us thinking about running it next year,” he says. “I know one girl, she’s already doing one half-marathon. She really wants to do it.”

And Roberts will cheer them on, if not help direct their training.

“It’ll be neat to see how that plays out for us as a team,” he says.