OKC Marathon Ethan Lollman
I know your asking yourself what this has to do with lures, fishing or fly fishing? Well today nothing, Ive always said #itsmystorytotell. Lures, Fishing and Fly Fishing are but things to fill in the void between the times and things that are really of importance, Family & Friends and Faith (Whichever yours maybe).
Our local newspaper printed an article about my son Ethan today and I wanted to share with the world, a super kid. I as a father envy his strength ability, tenacity, and courage and raw will. Being only 13, his dedication, determination and efforts for the 6 months or even years building up to this we nothing short of amazing. I love you E and someday when your surfing the internet you may run across this article and know how very proud of you I was, and am.
For most 13-year old boys, their lives are full of video games, social media, or many other activities.
By Evan Grice
For most 13-year old boys, their lives are full of video games, social media, or many other activities.
However, Ardmore native Ethan Lollman is anything but a normal 13-year old.
“His shelves aren’t full of model airplanes, but of medals and running accomplishments,” Ethan’s father Matt said. “Each one of them has a special place in his heart and mind.”
Yes indeed, Ethan Lollman isn’t just a runner, but a marathon runner.
Recently, Ethan’s running journey added yet another milestone to it, as he competed in the 2017 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon.
But this destination wasn’t reached overnight. Ethan’s journey to Oklahoma City began when he first started running in elementary school.
“I started running with my school in second grade at Oak Hall,” Ethan said. “I really enjoyed it, and now I absolutely love running. After a little bit I decided to start doing 5K’s, then I moved up to 10K’s, and then on to a half marathon. My mom (Julie) helped me train for my first half marathon. After I did my first half then I made the decision that I wanted to try a full marathon.”
Aside from doing his cross country activities with Oak Hall, Ethan also regularly participated in the A2A and Color Fun Runs as well as Chigger Chases.
But Ethan’s life isn’t just based around running and training for marathons.
“Ethan isn’t just a runner but he’s positive role model in my opinion,” Matt said. “He’s a A & B student in school, and is always volunteering to work at the local missions and food banks across the area. His heart is as big as his dreams, and his dream was to compete in the OKC marathon.”
Before this dream could become a reality, there were some minor hurdles that had to be overcome which had nothing to do with physical training.
Under normal circumstances, Ethan wouldn’t have been allowed to run in the marathon at all as entries below the age of 16 are normally not allowed in the event.
However, following an interview with his mother with the marathon officials regarding his training and conditioning as it pertained to the actual race itself, Ethan was given the green light to compete and fulfill a dream.
With the technicalities out of the way, Ethan was allowed to focus on preparing for the biggest stage of his young life. It should come as no surprise the preparations were anything but easy, but Ethan managed to get by with a little help from some local runners in Ardmore.
“The training for the full marathon was much more difficult than training for the half,” Ethan said. “My actual training started back in December, and I learned there were no shortcuts in training. I had to eat right, get enough sleep, and not skip any runs. My mom had asked a local group of runners if they wouldn’t mind me running with them for long runs. Chris Gray, Gono Briceno, Julio Briceno, and Mihaela Popa all helped me train. They were a huge part of my training and mentored me so much. It was a cool feeling for me because I was just a kid and they didn’t mind running with me whenever I needed them. They also came and ran the marathon with me as well.
“I also had to cross train and build up muscle,” Ethan added. “There were some days when I just didn’t want to run or when the runs themselves were rough. But, I knew I had to keep pushing and had to do it. The training helped me learn a lot about myself and my body physically and mentally. My family was a big help in preparing me for the race. They gave me reminders to eat right and constantly gave me pep talks to not give up. My mom (Julie) spent a lot of time running with me and talking to me daily as well.”
Matt added that watching his son train was super impressive, especially considering the dedication and discipline which was needed.
“Ethan’s hard work, ethics and training regiment over the six months leading up to the marathon were second to none,” he said. “He would run at night after school an average of three to eight miles, and then make it 10-20 miles on the weekends. He was doing this with the aide of full grown local athletes, many of whom are always at the top of the leaderboard for most of these local races.”
On April 30, 2017 the day finally arrived for Ethan to put all of his training to use on the grand stage in Oklahoma City.
Just like he did in everything leading up to the event, Ethan ran like a champ, finishing with a time of 5:19.48.
“I was super nervous before the actual race because so many things can go wrong,” Ethan said. “But, I thought the course was so fun and all the people cheering made it even better for me. It made me very proud running in this event. I knew that kids younger than me had run marathons before, but this was more of a personal goal for me to achieve. It was fun to be the youngest runner at this event though.”
Now that his dream has come true, Ethan has decided to carve out a new dream and set his sights even higher in the next few years.
“I plan on running the half marathon in Oklahoma City next year,” Ethan said. “I do want to do another marathon and eventually I’d like to compete in a triathlon. My ultimate goal would be to run in the Boston Marathon.
