Story courtesy of Steve Johnson, Benedictine Director of Marketing and Communications
Thousands of runners lined up for the 2024 Garmin Kansas City Marathon on Saturday, October 19, and topping them all at the finish line was Benedictine College's Cross Country/Distance coach, Jacob Cofer. Of the approximately 2,000 who ran the marathon distance, there were 1,291 finishers, with Cofer coming in six minutes ahead of anyone else, clocking a winning time of 2:28:30, one of the fastest times in the history of the event.
"It was a lot of fun getting to compete in the KC Marathon," said Cofer. "There were a lot of familiar faces cheering along the course, which was really helpful, especially in the later stages of the race. A former high school teammate of mine finished second in the marathon behind me and I loved being able to share this experience with him and represent our alma mater, Saint Thomas Aquinas!
Cofer said he has run other marathons, several half marathons, and a couple of 50K trail races. He started training for the Kansas City race in May and built up to it over the summer. The training proved effective, as the average finishing time for the KC Marathon was 4:25:10, nearly two hours behind Cofer's pace. In fact, his time was 13 seconds faster than the winning time a year ago and the fastest recorded time in the 26.2-mile event. Of the top 10 fastest times ever recorded, Cofer holds two of them (#6 from 2023 and #1 from 2024).
"I spent most of the summer building a solid base of miles and incorporating a lot of threshold workouts and tempo runs, workouts the Benedictine Cross Country team has done a lot," he said. "Once the season started, I have been able to do mileage runs with the team and even run a few of their workouts with them."
Jacob Connealy, Director of Cross Country and Track & Field for Benedictine College, said it was great to have an athlete like Cofer on the staff to help coach the distance runners for both Track & Field and Cross Country.
"He is going to raise the bar for our team," Connealy said. "The students have 'bought in' because they see that Coach Cofer knows what it takes to race at a high level. He is a humble man who cares about his athletes, and simply loves the sport."
The Garmin Kansas City Marathon has been recognized by RaceRaves, the leading online race finder and community review site for runners, as the "Best Marathon in Missouri." It has also been rated one of the top 20 Marathons on BibRave.com thus qualifying for "The BibRave 100: a Definitive List of the Best Races in America. It is also a qualifying race for other events, like the Boston Marathon. The race day featured marathon, half marathon, 10K, and 5K distances.
The course takes runners on a tour past the most beautiful landmarks and through the coolest neighborhoods in Kansas City, including the World War I Museum & Memorial, the Country Club Plaza, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Waldo, Westport, and the 18th & Vine District.
Founded in 1858, Benedictine College is a Catholic, Benedictine, residential, liberal arts college located on the bluffs above the Missouri River in Atchison, Kansas. The school is honored to have been named one of America's Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report, the best private college in Kansas by The Wall Street Journal, and one of the top Catholic colleges in the nation by First Things magazine and the Newman Guide. It prides itself on outstanding academics, extraordinary faith life, strong athletic programs, and an exceptional sense of community and belonging. Benedictine College is dedicated to transforming culture in America through its mission to educate men and women within a community of faith and scholarship.
