Submitted by Farrah Garibaldi, Eversource.
BERLIN, Conn. (October 7, 2020) – At the Eversource Hartford Marathon, some runners challenge themselves to take on 26.2 miles while others choose the half, 10k, or 5k—but this year Jacob Lucas is tackling all four of them. The Guilford resident and Eversource employee plans to run all 48.6 miles. This run is part of the Grit & Gusty Challenge, one of a few new competitions added to the mix since all the events are virtual this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Lucas isn’t letting that stop him – he plans to take on one race a day, starting Thursday, Oct. 8.
“Is it crazy to say I’m looking forward to it?” said Lucas with a laugh. “It’s been difficult to get out and run since the pandemic hit, especially because my kids are home – there’s no daycare and schools are hybrid. This event has motivated me to get back into the swing of things and to push harder to train.”
Lucas, the Director of Eversource’s Transmission System Planning department, is no stranger to running long distances. He’s completed four prior marathons – one in Washington D.C., one in Washington State, and two at the Eversource Hartford Marathon. His favorite part is having the crowd’s support and feeding off their energy as he runs. Since there won’t be spectators this year, Lucas is relying on his two biggest fans, his daughters, 9-year-old Brielle and 3-year-old Audrey. Both girls love training with Lucas on one-mile loops around their neighborhood. Audrey even competes in youth races and has a tradition of wearing mix-matching calf sleeves with Lucas on race days.
