For Craig Coon, a 2011 Binghamton graduate, his passion for running has taken him from the track of the Events Center to the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
In mid-April, Coon took part in the 2016 Boston Marathon, finishing 32nd out of more than 26,000 participants with a time of 2:29:51.
“For me, it’s just trying to stay fit,” Coon said. “I came back this year and said I’ll try and see if I can [keep] the same [time] as I get older.”
In 2013, two explosive devices were set off near the finish line of the marathon in a terrorist attack that killed three spectators and injured hundreds more. The tragedy united the city and runners around the world, including Coon.
Although he was unable to race in 2013, Coon knew as soon he heard of the attacks that he wanted to compete in Boston again.
“[I wanted] to go back and support the marathon and support Boston,” he said. “You can feel the outpouring [of support] when you’re there.”
Before he started running marathons, Coon competed on both the cross country and track squads for BU.
“Running at Binghamton, I had very good coaches, in [cross country head] coach [Annette] Acuff and [track and field head] coach [Mike] Thompson,” he said. “They helped motivate me and make me just a better runner overall.”
In 2009, Coon finished 21st at the America East Championships, helping the Bearcats to a first-place finish for the first time in program history.
Coon, who majored in engineering, cited a balance between academics and athletics as contributing to his success.
“It’s a balance and I think it takes both for me to succeed,” he said. “Engineering can be daunting at times and having an outlet like running helps me take my mind off the work. At the same time, engineering can take my mind off of running, so I’m not always focused entirely on one thing. ”
As soon as she began coaching him, Acuff knew Coon would accomplish great things.
“We used to [joke with him] when he was here and tell him, ‘You’re going to run a great marathon,’” she said.
In addition to his success in competition, Coon was vital to the development of BU’s program.
“Craig [Coon] was a great student-athlete for our program,” Acuff said. “He was one of our team captains for a couple years and is overall a great ambassador for the entire program.”
Although Coon has accomplished a great amount in his running career, he is not satisfied just yet. He wants not only to get faster, but also to keep running for as long as he can.
“I just want to keep enjoying running,” he said. “If I got to a day when I didn’t enjoy it anymore, that’d be unfortunate. I’m trying to train but at the same time make [running] a life pursuit.”