Ward takes eighth at Boston Marathon

BOSTON – Olympian and former BYU student-athlete Jared Ward ran a career-best time to finish eighth overall at the Boston Marathon on Monday.

A four-time All-American with the Cougars, Ward finished the marathon in 2:09:25 to set a new personal record. Ward led the lead pack of elite runners midway through the race before the group broke up leading to the finish line. This is the second time that Ward has finished in the top 10 at the Boston Marathon after taking 10th overall in 2017 with a time of 2:15:28.

“2:09, that’s been my goal for a long time, so I’m excited for that,” Ward said in a video he posted on his Twitter account. “I do not regret leading that race. That was one of the funnest moments.”

Ward’s time is two minutes faster than his performance in the marathon at the 2016 Summer Olympics at Rio de Janeiro where he took sixth place with a time of 2:11:30. Due to his top-10 finish at the Boston Marathon, Ward can qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo if he finishes in the top three at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Video highlights and official results from the Boston Marathon can be found on FloTrack.org.