His long and winding road

by T.L. Huffman
When Jeremy Covey looked at his odometer and realized he’d biked 16 miles on a race course that was only supposed to be 14 miles long, he knew something had gone wrong on this particular triathalon.
Turns out he’d gotten mixed in with the long course bikers and just kept going with them instead of making a right turn. He had to loop back around to get on the short course where he belonged. All in all he went four miles out of his way.
“It amounted to a lot of time,” he said.  He hadn’t had a chance to look over the course beforehand and he chalks his error up to a “Lesson to be learned.”
Jeremy, high school principal at Winston R-6, has a way of making up for things.
“It translated into an aggressive run,” he said. “There are people in front you want to be with. I knew I had to catch as many people as I could.”
He also had a good swim in that triathalon and, despite his turn of bad luck, placed eighth over all.
A Lifelong Passion
Jeremy’s first long-distance run was in fourth grade, when he was 10, on a cross-country school team. He’s been running competitively ever since, or for 21 years. That’s two decades of pushing himself past the breaking point. What makes Jeremy run?
“I gotta be busy, I just can’t sit at home,” he said. “I’m good at it and I enjoy it, and it’s something I can do by myself.”
Whether he’s restless, super-competitive, or just likes being alone sometimes, Jeremy consistently gives the competition a run for their money; he usually places in the top five. Area races where he has won first place include the Pony Express half marathon in St. Joseph; Apple Blossom 5K in St. Joseph; April Fool’s Run in Cameron; and the Turkey Trot (funny name–tough race) in Chillicothe.
Three years ago he switched from marathons to the triathalon. The three events in the triathalon are bike, swim, run.
“Running was starting to get stale,” he says of the transition. “I tried a triathalon three years ago and it hooked me in. It added a new flavor and I just like the competitive aspect. It’s a new challenge to see how good I can get.”
Running Events His Strength
Of the three events in the triathalon, running is by far his strength. Swimming is his weakest event, but is also the shortest and least important in the race. His biking has improved lately and can be improved even more with higher grade equipment. New carbon fiber tires added two miles to his average.
“It makes a world of difference,” he said.
He was able to buy his bike for $650 through Bicycle Shack, which sponsors his events. That’s a reasonable rate because the bikes usually run around $1,200 and some go for $5,000.
“You could buy a used car for that,” Jeremy said. “It’s a matter of priorities. Having little kids, I don’t feel I can spend a lot.”
He and his wife Rachel have two sons, Braden is four and Clayton just turned one. Rachel is supportive of his racing. They met in college where Jeremy was studying to be a coach and physical education teacher.  He was running cross-country then, too, so Rachel knew she’d married a ‘marathon man.’
“With two little ones it’s tough on training,” Jeremy said. “Until they’re at that age when they can do things on their own and my wife doesn’t have to take care them by herself all the time while I’m on the road.”
To train he works his mileage up running and builds from an aerobic base. “I build with workouts, like a pyramid,” he said. “I start with base running, then add quality instead of quantity.”
His best time in a triathalon was a half Ironman at 5 hours 8 minutes. That’s 1.2 mile swim; a 56 mile bike; and a 13.1 run. The race that meant the most to him to win was a half marathon in St. Joe.
“I’d set it as a goal to run a longer distance,” he said. “All the races leading up to it went well. And the day of the race everything clicked. It was my best run.”
Things don’t always click. He was in a Jackson County sprint triathalon when the quick release lock on his back tire busted off. He had to walk five miles back to the starting line. And since biking shoes have clips that fit into the pedals that don’t serve as walking shoes, he had to make the trek barefoot.
Setbacks are part of the race and missteps can be made up for in the long run. Jeremy, who admits to being a bit of a perfectionist, has learned to take things in stride, including his own shortcomings.
It’s not unusual for competitors to say to him: “You’re big to run as fast as you do.”
He weighs around 185 pounds. Most runner are 150 pounds or lighter.
“It’s a lot of beef to carry around,” he said.
He’s come to accept that he lacks the ideal height and weight for a runner.  He got his first inkling of it in college. His coach wrote a letter of recommendation for him for a teaching position. The letter started out: “Jeremy isn’t the most gifted runner…”
“I was disappointed,” Jeremy said. “I thought I was pretty good. My coach meant it in a good way. I just don’t have a runner’s body.”
But he still has the strong work ethic his coach mentioned in the letter and the drive that keeps him setting goals of endurance for himself.
He’d like to take on the ING New York City Marathon some day. He has an ultimate goal. By the time he’s 40, (he has nine years left) he’d like to be in the Ironman in Hawaii. This race is one of the best known triathalons in the world and is televised.
This year’s goal is to win a spring sprint.
Jeremy helped set up the Red Bird Run last November at Winston and had 75 participants. Twenty-five youngsters showed up for the one mile run. The event will be held again this year.
“The hard work that I have put into running has carried over into every aspect of my life,” said Jeremy. “I try to apply it to everything I do.”