"My last hurrah:" After running together for 4 years, MU Pres. Dr. Lovell, Ian Kloehn to run Boston Marathon
MILWAUKEE -- Sometimes it is the journey that makes a single experience so rewarding. At Marquette University, a journey four years in the making is about to come to an end of sorts, with a unique experience in Boston.
"Honestly, I don't know how he does it. He must have like, a second body double or something because he's all over the place," Ian Kloehn, MU senior said.
Ian Kloehn
From the center of Marquette University, through the surrounding community, and to the track at Valley Fields, Marquette's President, Dr. Michael Lovell is always on the move.
"I feel like he is so involved in the community and he dedicates his life to being the president, making Marquette University a better place for us," Kloehn said.
Dr. Michael Lovell
For four years, Kloehn has worked his way toward graduating from MU in the spring, and many of those steps have been taken with Dr. Lovell at his side.
"It surprised me how much he does, honestly. We have gone on a couple long runs together and those long runs can go three hours plus, so you really get to know somebody on those runs. We might start conversations pretty general, but on those runs you can get pretty in depth about like, life -- a lot of things like that. So it's been pretty cool," Kloehn said.
Dr. Michael Lovell and Ian Kloehn
"This is just another great way for Ian and I to connect together through our passion for running. You know, I think, again, I enjoy watching him excel and do great things," Dr. Lovell said.
The two have been running together since Kloehn's freshman year when he joined MU's Running Club that Lovell created when he arrived at the school.
Dr. Michael Lovell
"When he first started running, he really had never run a marathon before. The first time he ran with the group, he kind of went out with another group of runners in the group and kind of got to experience and kind of, you know, struggled a little bit at the end. I think through training with the group he's actually -- I think he's going to really, really do well for even though last four or five miles," Dr. Lovell said.
On April 17th, they'll be running together again, but not in Milwaukee. They will be tackling the Boston Marathon with a number of other people from Marquette.
Ian Kloehn
"So having Dr. Lovell at the finish line, having that whole group, having other students -- it'll be pretty awesome to have that sense of the Marquette community in another state," Kloehn said.
"It's great for me to be able to share this with the students and to be able to really enjoy their success. Again, to see how well they're doing. A lot of times they come with us and they start training and they've really never been part of a training thing before and they see how well they develop and people like Ian that are just going to really going to set things on fire in Boston. I'm really excited to see it," Dr. Lovell said.
Dr. Michael Lovell
Having run Boston before, this will be Lovell's 30th marathon, and there will be an added significance this time.
"I turned 50 this year, so I decided I'd run it again now that I'm 50 years old. For me, the first time I ran it, I was really concerned about my time and really didn't enjoy the race that much because I was so focused. I think I'm going to enjoy it a little more this time and take in the sights and the scenes and all the great things the race has to offer," Dr. Lovell said.
Dr. Michael Lovell
For Kloehn, the end of the 26.2-mile trek will also have special meaning.
"This is something that I wanted to use as, like my, last hurrah at Marquette. And so it's kind of coming to a close. It's pretty emotional. Excited though. It's been great. Glad I came here," Kloehn said.
"I think about someone like Ian, certainly his leadership, giving back to others, excelling in the classroom, excelling in the running -- it's all part of, hopefully as we help develop students, we're helping them be great people as well in every aspect of their life," Dr. Lovell said.
Kloehn has run a sports camp for visually impaired students the last two summers at Marquette, and Dr. Lovell has volunteered his time ot help. The camp and Lovell's participation will continue even as Kloehn is set to move on to medical school in Kansas City in the fall.