From Terrible To Victory: Teacher Reaches Top Goal

Bert Jacoby trained for months to achieve a goal.

The third-grade teacher at Lafayette Upper Elementary School didn't want the best time at Sunday's Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon in Fredericksburg. He didn't want to beat a certain competitor.

He just wanted to win.

And he did, running the 13.1-mile course in 1:11:33, a pace of 5:27. This was the second-fastest time in course history. He was laser focused on his goal, so after he had won Jacoby was unprepared to talk to the press, his family, friends and supporters. He doesn't even remember what he said.

"Yesterday was just about winning," the 29-year-old said Monday night in his classroom. "I'm glad that I ran as fast as I did. I was relieved. I had put a lot of pressure on myself to win."

Jacoby isn't new to winning. The Fredericksburg-area native won numerous local races, but his successes did not come easy. He has been running since he was a young child, and his father, Buck Jacoby, was a gentle supporter.

"He motivated me and my siblings to run, but it wasn't a pressure thing," Jacoby said.

The 2001 graduate of Stafford High School and alum of William and Mary said he wasn't always good at running. He wasn't the best in track and field in middle school or high school, and when he got to college he didn't make the team.

Most people would've given up. But Jacoby isn't like most people.

"I was pretty terrible," he said. "I was actually pretty bad. But being a competitive runner, I found myself in an environment that fostered it."

He worked harder at improving his endurance, times and set higher goals after he'd break one. But he left each one obtainable to prevent injuries, something he hasn't always been lucky enough to avoid. He credited podiatrist Dr. Ross Girvan for understanding his drive and that runners never want to stop doing what they love. He also visits a chiropractor regularly and has gone to some great measures to get healthy, such as buying a horse trough and filling it with ice water to soothe his aches and pains. For Jacoby to get to running up to 90 miles a week, it took a decade.

"You need to start slow. You need to listen to your body, and if it hurts, slow down a little bit," he said.

For new runners who are struggling, Jacoby suggested pacing yourself and walking when you feel like you are at your limit, and then start back up again. If it's your lungs stopping you, then keep pushing, he said.

When Jacoby returned to class Monday, his students were preparing for the Math Standards of Learning tests. He had a great message to tell them after winning this race. When he was their age, he wasn't good at doing what he just did incredibly well on Sunday. Goals are achievable if you work at it, he said—and Jacoby is a great example. 

Jacoby celebrated his victory and the students' great test scores on the English SOLs with a pizza party, and a few messages about striving for the top.

"Nothing good comes easy," he said. "I knew I could win the race but I knew I had to line up and run it. If you have a goal and you work for it, you can achieve it. No one is going to hand it to you. I still had to run the race and they still have to take the test."