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Avid runner Peter Janiszeski planned to run the 2020 Boston Marathon on April 20. But when the 26.2-mile event was postponed to September due to the coronavirus outbreak, Janiszeski decided to run the marathon at home and dedicate the race to three area families.
Dubbed the “Luverne Marathon, Janiszeski will be the only participant, but the memories of Anthony Boyenga, Brooke Thompson and Jackson Facile will be with him.
“I want to turn the disappointment of not getting to race in Boston into something positive for my community and shining gifts of home, light and love onto others,” he said. “We as individuals can’t obviously help everyone, but we can help someone through acts of kindness.”
The three died within the past year. Two of them were former students of the Luverne High School mathematics teacher, and one was an infant. All three belonged to the same faith community of St. Catherine Catholic Church in Luverne.
Monetary donations for Janiszeski’s Luverne Marathon can be dropped off at Security Savings Bank locations in Luverne, Hills and Ellsworth.
“This is a very challenging time financially for a lot of people, so whatever is donated is awesome and generous, regardless of the amount,” Janiszeski said. “My thoughts for uses of the money are for scholarships, living expenses (and) medical expenses.”
Janiszeski was completing a planned 22-mile training run on March 14 when the idea of the Luverne Marathon began forming.
“I just found out that the race (Boston Marathon) was being postponed and I didn’t want to ‘waste’ – I don’t believe any training is ever wasted – all the hard work,” Janiszeski said. “I wanted to turn it into something positive.”
Running has been a lifelong passion for 41-year-old Janiszeski.
As a child growing up, first in Canby and then in Minneota where he moved with his family as a sixth-grader, Janiszeski found running to be a “you-versus-you” activity, and it fit his competitive nature. He would continually challenge himself to break his personal best times with each competition.
The outdoor training time to become stronger and faster now is where Janiszeski also finds solitude, his time to think, and say prayers for his family and others. He runs five to seven days a week, in all kinds of weather, which gives him plenty of time to think.
“I can focus on becoming not just the best runner I can be, but the best person I can be,” he said. “I love sharing my love of running with those I am blessed to coach and anyone else who takes an interest.”
Janiszeski has taught for 18 years, all in Luverne, where he became the assistant cross country coach 14 years ago.
The last 12 years he has been the head coach for the fall sport. In the spring he has been an assistant track and field coach, also for 14 years, with the last four years as head coach.
According to Janiszeski, anyone can become a runner.
“Just start,” he said. “Even if it’s just for 10 minutes or you have to run a minute and then walk and then repeat. Then you just slowly build up from there.”
Marathons, especially the Boston Marathon, provide a challenge for experienced runners. Janiszeski began training for the 2020 marathon 13 months ago.
In order to run in Boston, runners must meet a qualifying time based on age and gender at a previous event and then apply for the Boston event.
Janiszeski met the Boston criteria at the 2018 Twin Cities Marathon by finishing in 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Janiszeski was selected in September among the limited number of runners accepted to participate in the Boston Marathon.
It would have been his ninth appearance in Boston, and he planned to finish in a personal best time.
“I’ve been blessed to finish all eight marathons that I’ve started. The first four to five were learning experiences,” he said. “The thing about running 26.2 miles – or any race, for that matter – is that you never quite know how it’s going to go on a given day.”
Arriving at the starting line feeling fit and confident hasn’t always meant a smooth race.
“In those first five, I had parts that I was forced to walk for some reason or another, be it my knee popping out of place, or getting too hot or just plain running out of gas,” Janiszeski said.
He finished the last three races without walking and achieved personal-best times in the two marathons in the Twin Cities and the 2013 Boston Marathon, which was interrupted by bombings.
“Even on training runs, you have those days that you hit it out of the park, hit all of your paces and feel invincible, and then you have those days where you don’t feel so great and your paces are off,” Janiszeski said.
He is not planning for an off day at the Luverne Marathon on April 18 (weather dependent). His wife, Angie, and children, Camden, Owen, Eden and Evren, will cheer him on along the route that includes five-mile loops around the former Interpretive Center at Blue Mounds State Park and three-mile loops around the Sanford Luverne hospital.
On Janiszeski’s mind will be the three families who lost loved ones.
He wrote about his plan on his social media page.
“Let’s make something positive out of all the craziness in our world right now and lift up those around us,” he wrote.
The donations will be split evenly among the families.
Checks are payable to “Peter Janiszeski Benefit Account” and dropped off at Securitiy Savings Bank locations.