Haverhill native Jefferson Welch finished in 13th place in last Sunday’s Bay State Marathon in Lowell.
His time, 2:41:18, was more than respectable at 6:10 per mile … for 26.2 miles. But it didn’t really move the needle, in terms of public acknowledgement.
Well, that’s not totally true.
The only thing louder than his excited wife and three children, ages 5, 3 and 1, was his mom, Jane Welch, who let it be known to those near the finish line whom she was rooting for that morning in Lowell.
Welch’s performance may not have moved the needle compared some of our other local pros last week – Methuen’s Georges Niang scored 11 in the Cavs NBA opener; North Andover’s Joey Daccord was named first-star in goal in the Seattle Kracken’s 2-1 win; and former Brooks football star Pat Freiermuth’s one-handed, over-the-shoulder 30-yard reception in the Steelers win over the Jets – it should have.
In fact, considering the hurdles he faces – 37 years old, husband, dad of three young children, full-time job as engineer – his performance last week may have trumped them all.
“Initially, I was hoping to run 2:40,” said Welch, a two-time Eagle-Tribune Cross Country All-Star who broke a 15-year-old course record in Haverhill.
“But I didn’t know how my legs would hold up,” he added. “Fifteen miles was the most I ran in my training cycle. If you do the math, that’s not even close to enough.”
Basketball, by far, first love
Welch’s “running story” isn’t typical for most people that can break three hours over 26.2 miles.
Growing up in Haverhill he was. first and foremost, a basketball player.
“Basketball was my love,” recalled Welch. “I loved it; couldn’t get enough of it. I wanted to play in college. That was always my focus growing up.”
His entrance into the sport of running came from his mom, who was a good athlete growing up and ran in some races. She recommended running to get in shape for basketball, joining the Haverhill High cross country team.
In fact, he joined his mom in some random races and ended up winning a few in the younger age groups, without doing proper training.
He joined the cross country team at Haverhill High and pretty much learned that “I pretty much might have a calling in this sport.”
But he fought it. Because of basketball.
“I sat down with my cross country coach, Mike Maguire, and he pretty much put it on the line,” recalled Welch. “He basically told me that cross country was my meal ticket from college. I didn’t like hearing that, honestly, but it was true.
“I was pretty good player, maybe the sixth or seventh guy on a very good Haverhill basketball team,” noted Welch. “I wasn’t growing any more. No colleges were recruiting me for basketball. That conversation was difficult but it changed everything for me.”
Stayed local for college
After perusing about 17 college offers, Welch chose Merrimack, which offered an academic/athletic scholarship. Like running, Merrimack wasn’t the original plan.
“Nothing against my family, but I had always wanted to go away to college,” chuckled Welch. “But in the end, it made the most sense.”
Welch became a two-time Div. 2 Academic All-American at Merrimack, an accomplishment that really mattered to him, and upon leaving school distance running, and marathoning entered his running picture.
He literally became a pro, running for Whirlaway Running, while also working as a full-time engineer for BAE Systems, a defense contractor, in Merrimack, N.H.
“Jefferson was an athlete, mentally tough, too,” recalled Whirlaway’s Dave Kanzanjian. “I got him when he was raw, still learning the sport. But the one thing is he kept getting better and better every week of training. He had a future if he wanted to pursue it more.”
Kazanjian sort of lost touch when Welch got married and started his family.
But he continued to run, sporadically, on his own.
Won marathon a decade ago
Welch won his first marathon a decade ago, the Maine Coast Marathon in Wells, Me., at age 27, in a time of 2:42:34.
“The time wasn’t great but that was cool winning,” said Welch. “That was a big one for me.”
A little less than a year later, he ran his career best marathon, in Boston, at 2:34:52, finishing 141st overall.
Impressive.
“When I run in races I’m there to do my best every time and that means doing the proper training,” said Welch, who was running 100+ miles per week in his marathon “prime.”
Things changed though soon after those 100-mile weeks.
Life got in the way … as in a wedding (Chalsee) and three children — (Ella (5), Kennedy (3), Jefferson Jr. (2) – in four years.
Which brings us to last Sunday’s Bay State Marathon.
Now living in Manchester, N.H., splitting his job between being remote and in the Merrimack, N.H. office, Welch had to do some serious juggling.
He also needed some help, or really understanding.
“My first conversation with my wife, that was I going to sign up for the race, was an important one,” he said. “She was going to have do a little more of the family-type things solo. Honestly, she’s the most important member of ‘our’ team. When she bought in it was amazing.”
Running team is his family
Welch never went over 70 miles a week in training, and his longest run about 15 or 16 miles. In his prime, there are several 20-mile jaunts, which get the body ready for the marathon distance.
Welch went through the gambit in training, including early mornings, lunch breaks or after the kids went to bed at night. He also did a lot of runs on his treadmill.
“It was a little crazy, the schedule,” said Welch.
When race day arrived he realized a 2:40 goal might be a little bit of reach, not doing the longer runs.
He felt great, jumping out at a nice pace. Then, as he thought, the last several miles were laborious.
“The funny part is the upper half of my body felt great the entire race,” he said. “But my legs were dead over the last few miles.”
While the competitor in him wasn’t thrilled, the family guy in him will never forget those last few miles, particularly when he saw his wife, kids and parents.
“It was really nice seeing my kids, high-fiving them as I saw them,” recalled Welch. “They hadn’t seen me in a ton of races. The were so excited to see me. That was worth everything.
“It was cool for them to see their dad do something productive and athletic,” said Welch. “Maybe even a life lesson for them, that you have to work for something.”
As for the future, Welch said last Sunday’s race opened his eyes to his potential, even at 37, maybe even another run at Boston someday soon.
“I honestly love running and competing,” said Welch. “If I do anything else in the future I’ll have to talk to my team first … my family.”
You can email Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com.