Nov. 19 was just a normal old Sunday, unless your name is Kouros Sadeghi-Nejad. For Kouros, a junior, it was time to make history. He was getting ready to run in one of the most prestigious marathons of all time: the AACR Philadelphia Marathon.

Of the more than 30,000 people that participated in the marathon, Kouros was the youngest runner. With a time of 3:27:30, he finished number 996 in his first marathon ever.

“Many people argue that running a marathon at such a young age poses numerous risks to one’s health,” Kouros said. “But I have always believed that anything is possible with proper training, technique and mentality.”

To get into the proper shape needed to complete the race, Kouros went through an intense training regime. This included eating correctly and continuing to run consistency.

“I prepared for the marathon with almost six months of training, but I think the race was a culmination of all the years I’ve put into the sport,” Kouros said. “I ran about 50 miles a week with long runs ranging between 18 and 23 miles. I also had a relatively strict diet in order to maintain a low body fat.”

Kouros also hit upon the fact that he needed a strong mentality to finish the race. That went along with him meditating and envisioning himself in the run.  

During the marathon, Kouros faced multiple challenges. First off, he had 20 mph winds blowing into his face. Kouros could have ended his journey three quarters through the race, but that is when an unexpected run-in pushed him to keep going.

“As the soreness began to set in, I saw a most unexpected appearance,” Kouros said. “Thomas Egan’s brother was running the race, and Tom was at the water station when I ran by, and for a brief stint, he ran by my side and it made for a pretty memorable moment in one of the hardest parts of the race.”

After the race was over, people would think it would take some time for Kouros to get back up on his feet, but that wasn’t the case.

“I could go into the long recovery process that followed the race, but as most distance runners can attest, a good pasta dinner was enough to satisfy my seemingly insatiable hunger.”

What Kouros proved was that hard work comes with rewards, which in this case was showing everyone he could do the slim but possible.

“My coach, Mr. Emering, once told me before a race that ‘I don’t believe in luck, I believe in hard work,” Kouros said in an Instagram post. “The harder you work, the luckier you get. This drives me to break my limits and hopefully inspire someone else to do the same.”