Today we are featuring a highlight from Brent Capps of Ketchikan who is the youngest Prince of Wales Marathon competitor winning 1st place two times. Our hope is that this story will inspire and encourage you to join us as we celebrate the 20th year of the Prince of Wales Marathon on May 25th!
When the rest of us are stretching and pondering whether to roll out of bed or make another cup of coffee in the comfort of our homes. A young man hits the road early in the morning with an amazing stride and determined look on his face. This slender 14 year old listening to pumped up kicks while wearing his favorite Nike shoes, a black cap and running shorts on the sidewalk, is a familiar sight to many residents of Ketchikan, Alaska—his name is Brent Capps.
What many may not know is that Brent is the youngest Prince of Wales full-marathon competitor, which is impressive on its own right, however Capps also holds two 1st place finishes in the last three years!
• Brent Placed 3rd in his first Marathon in 2016 with a time of 3:42:09
• In 2017 Brent placed 1st with a time of 3:39.54
• Last year in 2018 Brent again placed 1st with a personal record of 3:28.53
Brent Capps started running in grade school with the elementary after school program, which had a goal to help everyone finish Ketchikan's Totem to Totem Half Marathon in 1-3 mile relay teams coached by Clint Schultz at the Tongass Arts and Science training group in 2016. They set out to run the Totem to Totem Half Marathon as team. However, when Brent expressed interest in running the whole race on his own, the coach agreed and Brent surprised everyone by getting fourth over-all at just 11 years old!
Capps then heard about the POW Marathon that was going to start two weeks later and signed up for the full 26.2 mile race and placed 3rd overall.
When asked what his philosophy on training for the marathon was he shyly and indirectly admitted that he is self-taught, though he gleaned some tips and tricks by reading Jack Daniels' (not that Jack Daniels!) book called the “Running Formula” which was given to him by his High School coach Leigh Woodward.
His training over the last three years has consisted of running three days a week, three days weight lifting and cross training with swimming and soccer. Now that he is in high school and excelling with the Kayhi Cross-Country Team (which he qualified for State last year) he runs five days a week--though he assured us that he does take a day or two off, “if it's raining hard.”
When Brent isn't visiting and “eating his Grandmother out of her house” he is like any other teenager and is busy with school, chores, subsistence gathering/hunting, he likes junk food, playing “Clash of Clans” and occasionally watching the show “Ghost Adventures.”
Advice from Brent for Marathon runners:
“If you plan to run the marathon, train at least three months and listen to advice from seasoned runners--weight training is important.”
“Drink lots of water throughout the race and at each water spot but don’t over drink water.”
“It’s important to do hill work and 200 meter sprinting for practices.”
Are you thinking about joining the POW Marathon, Brent is already signed up how about you?
Even if you aren't running or walking in the 20th Annual Prince of Wales Marathon this year, come out and cheer on this sleek and amazing runner who cruises down the highway of Prince of Wales like a Wolf chasing after his prize....The Gold Medal prize that is.
Sign up for the Marathon early and get a discount!
Additional information on accommodations and transportation may be found [here]
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