FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The Boston Marathon didn’t happen this year, but that didn’t stop a local group of runners from having one of its own.
Jennifer Kurtz organized the “Boston in Fayetteville” event. She and seven others qualified to run in the marathon this year, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Saturday morning, they started a 26.2-mile journey from Rush Running in Bentonville to Fayetteville.
“We’re doing it because it’s just such an accomplishment to qualify for the Boston Marathon,” said organizer Jennifer Kurtz. “It’s a year of hard work.”
Kurtz said she started training to qualify in May 2018. Only 30,000 people qualify to participate in the marathon each year.
