Dexter runner tries to find silver lining in Boston Marathon delay

Scott Kruse should have crossed the famed Boston Marathon finish line Monday.

But like runners all over the world who had hoped to compete in the prominent race, Kruse instead finds himself staying home and training for a new race date of Sept. 14.

Though he never would have wished for it, Kruse — principal of T.S. Hill Middle School in Dexter, Missouri — said the decision to postpone Monday’s race may have been a blessing in disguise.

“I sure wish it wasn’t happening but it’s gonna be a good thing for my body,” Kruse said by phone Monday.

Kruse ran in the St. Jude Memphis Marathon in December, and with consistent training for the Boston race, he said his body hasn’t had much of a break. The postponement will allow time for him to recover and rebuild strength, he said.

Of course, training for a September marathon means adjusting his conditioning schedule. Unfortunately for Kruse, that means the longest runs will be in June, July and August.

“That’s what’s not fun,” he said. “I may end up doing more miles on, let’s say, a treadmill — which I hate — but in the air conditioning. You know, I would probably hate 100-degree temperatures worse.”

Scott Kruse, left, runs alongside his lifelong friend David Robinson during the St. Jude Memphis Marathon on Dec. 9, 2019, in Memphis, Tennessee.Submitted

Kruse had been selected for the 10-member St. Jude Heroes team and has been in communication with runners from all over the country in preparation for the race. The team even held a “virtual run,” Kruse said, complete with playlists compiled by participants.

“People just went out, and wherever they were, you just kinda track it on the mapping apps,” Kruse said. “So we were all on the road yesterday and it’s like we weren’t doing any one, specific, common thing other than just running, so it gave me a little motivation to get back out on the road.”

Before his virtual run, Kruse had taken some time off from running. The Boston Athletic Association announced the race rescheduling March 13, and since then, Kruse said he’d been walking, an activity he admits is “a little too slow and boring” for his taste.

But on Sunday, he hit the road with his virtual running group and got back at it.

The new race date, now 145 days away, will also give Kruse more time to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The Boston Marathon start line is vacant Monday in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.Charles Krupa ~ Associated Press

Each Boston Marathon runner is required to raise at least $5,000 for one of the race’s partner charities. When Kruse spoke with the Southeast Missourian in December, his goal was to raise $10,000 for St. Jude.

Kruse and the 209 donors who gave to his campaign blew that goal away months ago, and on Monday evening, the campaign’s GoFundMe page had collected more than $37,700 for the Memphis, Tennessee, hospital.

Now, Kruse thinks the goal of raising $50,000 by mid-September is reasonable.

But he was quick to emphasize he is not looking for donations right now, citing the coronavirus’ financial impact on families.

“I’m not gonna get out and ask people for donations or plug anything,” Kruse said. “And hopefully, later on this summer when things get normal, we’ll do some fun little fundraisers. ... Our people in this area are so generous and supportive.”

And Kruse is looking forward to experiencing New England in the fall.

“It’s one of the prettiest times of the year to be in Boston,” Kruse said. “So ... that’ll be a silver lining.”

Find more information about Kruse’s campaign for St. Jude through his GoFundMe donation page at www.charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/stjudeheroesboston2020/scottkruse4.