Winters and Wolford Set to Run Boston

BOSTON, Mass. - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men's cross country team will be well-represented when the 2013 Boston Marathon takes place on Monday.

Nate Winters, a 2012 MVNU graduate and four-year star for the Cougars, and current junior Jace Wolford will be among the field set to tackle the 26.2-mile course of a race that will celebrate its 117th running when the starting gun fires at 9:30 a.m. for the elite runners.

For Winters, this will be his second time to run Boston as he qualified and ran the 2011 race. Despite going into that race with an injured ankle, he still posted a 3:03:50 finish time to finish 1,977th out of 23,879 finishers. He qualified for this year's race by posting a 2:57:54 and earning at third-place finish at last year's Earth Day Challenge Marathon in Gambier, Ohio.

"I am very blessed to be able to run my second Boston Marathon," said Winters, a Hilliard, Ohio native. "I am even more blessed that I get to do it with my good friend, Jace. I have missed running with Jace, and I am looking forward to spending 26.2 quality miles with him on Monday. Being a part of this race is incredible, and I have been looking forward to it for months. Because of all the people and spectators who come out to run and watch the marathon, the Boston Marathon is one of the greatest marathons of all time. There are many marathons, but there is only one Boston."

For Wolford, this will be just his second marathon as he posted a Boston-qualifying time the first time out of the gate with a 3:00:31 and a fourth-place finish right behind Winters at Earth Day.

"It means so much to have the opportunity to embark on this great experience," exclaimed Wolford. "I want to thank God for this experience and for blessing me with the body, resources, and the people around me. Running the Boston Marathon is probably the highest, most prestigious thing I have ever done in my running career or in my life! I appreciate all the supportive people in my life, and all of the people who have been praying."

"Jace and Nate have been two runners who have had a tremendous impact on our cross country program at MVNU," said coach Chip Wilson, who has now had three runners qualify for Boston. "They have continued to work hard and develop and they are always working to become better runners. They both have had great success in distance running, and this is one more event that they can say they have accomplished. I am very proud to call them Cougar runners. To be a part of such a prestigious event is a rare opportunity, and I know they will remember this for a lifetime."

To follow Winters and Wolford via text alerts, text the word "Runner" to 345678. Then, reply to the message with their bib numbers which are 2481 for Winters and 3420 for Wolford. Live coverage of the race will also be available online at http://watchlive.baa.org. Winters and Wolford are both in Corral 1 which is slated to start at 10 a.m.