# Jared Ward

Jared Ward (born September 9, 1988) is an American long-distance runner. He qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics when he placed third in the marathon at the 2016 US Olympic Trials. He finished sixth at the 2016 Olympics.

## Early life, family and education

Jared Ward was born in Layton, Utah and attended Davis High School. His sister Anna and her husband are also competitive runners.
Ward has a master's degree in statistics from Brigham Young University.

## Career

In addition to his athletic career, Ward teaches statistics at BYU as a member of the adjunct faculty.

## Running career
### Collegiate

While in college, Ward ran for the BYU Cougars. While at BYU, Ward ran in the NCAA Cross Country Nationals in each of his four seasons. Ward's peak came during his junior season when he finished 8th at Pre-Nationals, 1st at the West Coast Conference Championships, 3rd at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships, and 14th at the 2012 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. Following his BYU career, Ward signed with Saucony.

### Professional

Ward was the runner-up at the 2014 U.S. Marathon championships. At the 2015 USATF 25 km Championships Ward finished 1st defeating Matt Llano, Christo Landry, Abdi Abdirahman, Augustus Maiyo, and Brett Gotcher. At the 2015 USATF 20 km Championships Ward finished 1st defeating Dathan Ritzenhein, Luke Puskedra, Tyler Pennel, Abdi Abdirahman, and Fernando Cabada. Ward is also the 2015 U.S. Marathon champion. These three victories helped him secure the USATF Running Circuit title for 2015.
On February 13, 2016 Ward finished third, behind Galen Rupp and Meb Keflezighi at the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Los Angeles, California, to secure a place on the 2016 US Olympic Team, finishing in 2:13:00 on a warm day. On August 21, 2016 Ward finished 6th, with Galen Rupp in 3rd and Meb Keflezighi in 33rd, at the Olympic Marathon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, running a personal best time of 2:11:30 with the temperature in the 70s on a drizzly, humid morning.

## Personal life

Ward and his wife Erica have six children. They reside in Provo, Utah.
Ward is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served a two-year mission to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

### Competition record

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing the United States ||||||
| 2013 | Chicago Marathon | Chicago, Illinois | 19th | Marathon | 2:16:17 |
| 2014 | Twin Cities Marathon | Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota | 2nd | Marathon | 2:14:00 |
| 2015 | USA Marathon Championships Los Angeles Marathon | Los Angeles, California | 3rd | Marathon | 2:12:56 |
| 2016 | US Olympic Trials | Los Angeles, California | 3rd | Marathon | 2:13:00 |
| 2016 | IAAF World Half Marathon Championships | Cardiff, Wales | 26th | Half-Marathon | 64:05 |
| 2016 | Olympic Marathon | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 6th | Marathon | 2:11:30 |
| 2017 | New York City Half Marathon | New York City, New York | 14th | Half-Marathon | 1:03:14 |
| 2017 | Boston Marathon | Boston, Massachusetts | 10th | Marathon | 2:15:28 |
| 2017 | Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 5th | Half-Marathon | 1:04:43 |
| 2017 | New York City Marathon | New York City, New York | 12th | Marathon | 2:18:39 |
| 2018 | Houston Half-Marathon | Houston, Texas | 16th | Half-Marathon | 1:02:10 |
| 2018 | 2018 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships | Valencia, Spain | 83rd | Half-Marathon | 1:04:49 |
| 2018 | New York City Marathon | New York City, New York | 6th | Marathon | 2:12:24 |
| 2019 | Boston Marathon | Boston, Massachusetts | 8th | Marathon | 2:09:25 |
| 2019 | New York City Marathon | New York City, New York | 6th | Marathon | 2:10:45 |
| 2020 | Houston Half-Marathon | Houston, Texas | 11th | Half-Marathon | 1:01:36 |
| 2020 | US Olympic Trials | Atlanta, Georgia | 27th | Marathon | 2:15:55 |
| 2020 | London Marathon | London, England | 17th | Marathon | 2:12:38 |
| 2021 | New York City Marathon | New York City, New York | 10th | Marathon | 2:14:06 |
| 2022 | Boston Marathon | Boston, Massachusetts | 26th | Marathon | 2:15:24 |

### USA National Championships
#### Road

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| 2015 | USA Half Marathon Championships | Houston, Texas | 2nd | Half marathon | 1:01:42 |
| 2015 | USA Marathon Championships Los Angeles Marathon | Los Angeles, California | 1st | Marathon | 2:12:56 |
| 2015 | USA 25 km Championships | Grand Rapids, Michigan | 1st | 25 km | 1:14:56 |
| 2015 | USA 20 km Championships | New Haven, Connecticut | 1st | 20 km | 59:24 |
| 2016 | US Olympic Trials | Los Angeles, California | 3rd | Marathon | 2:13:00 |
| 2016 | USA 25 km Championships | Grand Rapids, Michigan | 2nd | 25 km | 1:15:44 |
| 2018 | USA 15 km Championships Gate River Run | Jacksonville, Florida | 13th | 15 km | 46:18 |
| 2018 | USA 10 km Championships Peachtree Road Race | Atlanta Georgia | 18th | 10 km | 30:07 |
| 2021 | USA 20 km Championships | New Haven, Connecticut | 16th | 20 km | 1:01:21 |

### NCAA championships

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
| Representing BYU |||||
| 2010 | NCAA Cross Country Championships | Terre Haute, Indiana | 151st | 31:35.5 |
| 2011 | NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Drake University | 49th 10 km | 29:56.95 |
| 2011 | NCAA Cross Country Championships | Terre Haute, Indiana | 58th | 30:27.8 |
| 2012 | NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Drake University | 5th 10 km | 28:59.74 |
| 2012 | NCAA Cross Country Championships | Louisville, Kentucky | 14th | 29:33.4 |
| 2013 | 2013 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships | University of Arkansas | 9th 5 km | 13:54.04 |
| 2013 | IC4A / Eastern College Athletic Conference | Princeton University | 1st 5 km | 13:59.56 |
| 2013 | NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships | University of Oregon | 8th 10 km | 29:51.59 |
| 2013 | NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships | University of Oregon | 33rd 5 km | 14:15.35 |
| 2013 | NCAA Cross Country Championships | Terre Haute, Indiana | 36th | 30:43.6 |
| 2014 | 2014 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships | University of New Mexico | 4th 5 km | 13:54.04 |
| 2014 | 2014 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships | University of New Mexico | 4th 3 km | 8:13.73 |
| 2014 | 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships | University of Oregon | 10 km | DNF |