Trent Taylor exceeds expectations at Spanish marathon: Navajo/Hopi runner places 69th overall
CHINLE
Near the start of May, Trent Taylor had planned to travel to Spain for a long overdue vacation, due in part to the COVID pandemic, when a friend of his pointed out The Zurich Barcelona Marathon was taking place the same weekend on his journey.
Special to the Times | Ravonelle Yazzie
NM Pack Black’s Amir Woodie pitches the ball to an AZ Hype hitter on Saturday morning during the D-backs’ Intertribal baseball tournament at the Salt River Recreation Ballfields in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Figuring why not, the experienced marathon runner was able to register and take part in the full marathon run. His goal for the race was to get it done below three hours, that’s the qualifying time for next year’s Boston Marathon, a race he hadn’t run in since before the pandemic. He wanted to challenge himself though and try to beat the time at 2 hours and fifty minutes, the qualifying time for the elite races in the Boston marathon.
He also wanted to enjoy the scenic route of the race as it took him through much of the city and most of the cultural landmarks.
The Barcelona race started out fine, Taylor enjoyed how it started out in the town before making its way through the old city. However, near the one-mile mark of the race, he accidently stepped into a pothole filled with water.
“That usually is not a good mix, especially when you’re running really fast,” Taylor said. “Around mile 14, I started feeling I was getting a blister in my left foot and this blister started really bothering me around mile 20. The blister was full blown and it felt like I was stepping on a bubble … from like, mile 20.”
As the pain hit him, Taylor kept pushing, putting all of his focus into finishing the race. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to beat his qualifying time limit, but he was determined to at least finish the marathon.
With some strength still left, he was able to push himself across the finish line where he found a pleasant surprise. He was the first American of the race, coming in 69th overall and 37th in the amateur division with an official time of 2:43:08. He bested his goal despite the pain in his foot and running with blood inside his left shoe.
“It was not a pretty sight at the end,” Taylor said. “But I still managed to run a fast time, but the problem was I knew I still had some energy in the tank to go faster but I just couldn’t push off of that blister on my left foot. The good thing is I met my goal time and I’m pretty much qualified to run any marathon in the world really.”
Taylor’s ultimate dream is run in the six major marathons in the world. He ran in four of the six: the Boston Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Berlin Marathon and the New York Marathon. The only ones remaining marathons are the ones in London and Tokoyo.
To participate in either one he has to win in a raffle, something he has been applying for years now, but he remains hopeful.
A new program was introduced to make it easier for 40-plus runners to participate in foreign races. But in order to get in, Taylor will have to run a good race at next year’s Boston Marathon.
“I was really happy but there was a part of me that was feeling like I didn’t get everything out of myself, I felt like I could push a little harder, because that blister was hindering me from running faster than I actually could have,” Taylor said. “But all in all, I have to be happy about it because I went all the way across the Atlantic Ocean and still had a good race. I’m very happy with their accomplishment and it’s only going to lead to other good races to come. So, I’m happy. I’m 41 years old, and most 41-year-olds don’t really run times that fast anymore.”
Taylor’s best time is 2 hours and 38 minutes, which he ran at the Boston Marathon in 2015, his first major marathon. He started running in 2014 when he discovered his love and passion running, and traveling.
“It makes me feel good. I feel like running is kind of your mother or your coach or your father that’s around and is your disciplinary person,” Taylor said. “It makes me go to sleep early at a reasonable time so I can get up early in the morning and run before it gets hot. And of course, that’s something being half Navajo and half Hopi, something my parents always told us to do and of course we didn’t do it when we’re younger. But now I get it. It makes me eat the right foods, eat a good diet because when I eat bad foods, I can feel it the next day when I go out on my run. I feel sluggish or just don’t have any energy. So, it makes me eat better and it just clears my mind it makes me feel good. I feel good before I go to work and have a positive attitude all day long. And ultimately it just keeps me healthy.”
In addition to running marathons, Taylor also competes in Iron Man races and Triathlon events. His next event is in November and he is training in bicycling, swimming and running.
Taylor is from Ganado. He believes running is in his blood, his great grand-uncle was Louis Tewanima, a Hopi who ran in the Olympics in 1912 at Stockholm Sweden and won silver in the 10K. Ever since he was young, Taylor has been very active as a child all the way up to his adult life.
The past two years has been challenging for him. He works as a UPS driver and was working overtime for almost a year in Phoenix, making deliveries during the pandemic, which cut into his training and traveling time. Coming out of the pandemic made him appreciate everything in his life, including his health as many in his family caught COVID.
Taylor also enjoys traveling, visiting new places and seeing new people, and yet he says they find common ground, especially when they race together. He also has fun running with friends and meeting great runners, like Harry Singer, a Navajo runner who was able to run in the six major marathons.
This year Taylor has also been made apart of the Aravaipa Running group, a group of elite runners that helps organize runs and help runners like Taylor get into some races. Taylor was added to their group this year and he helps promotes running in the southwest area.
He hopes to continue running and traveling and although his ultimate goal is to maintain his health, he hopes to continue inspiring other runners across the community.
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow