If it was feasible for Teagan Martin to make the run from his hometown of Holyoke to Fleming for cross country practice, he would do just that. The Holyoke senior spent many days on the 45-minute stretch of Highway 6 in northeastern Colorado so that he could compete for a cross country team. Holyoke doesn’t offer a program so for Martin to run some distance, he had to travel some distance.
But he doesn’t mind. Like most runners, he’ll get by any obstacle needed to get to the start line. They’re all funny that way. Endurance sports seemed like a natural landing spot for Martin because of his family background. His dad is big into those events as he competes in Iron Man competitions.
When Martin was a freshman, he joined the track and field team at Holyoke and competed in the distance events. Cross country felt like a logical next step, but the Dragons didn’t offer a program, so he joined the nearest one in Fleming.
This past fall, he finished 30th in the Class 2A cross country state meet with a time of 17 minutes, 56.9 seconds. But along the way, he’s done a lot of good for his community. As he and his embark on running adventures in the way of ultramarathons, he wanted to also provide a service for a community.
“I created a nonprofit called Running 4 Reasons,” Martin said. “And to be honest with you, I wouldn’t have been able to finish my 100-mile run if it wasn’t for the money that I had pledged from the community. With all that money on the line, it’s just so motivating and I wouldn’t have been able to finish that 100-mile run without them.”
The money that his supporters pledge for his runs go toward supporting schools, cancer patients, literacy programs and adaptive sports. Starting this program will give him a good understanding of this branch of life as he prepares to attend the University of Colorado in Boulder. He wants to get into finance at the Leeds School of Business where ultimately he wants to be an entrepreneur.
Members of his community know that this path is in front of him, so they nominated him as a Positive Athlete for everything he’s doing in his community. According to Holyoke track and field coach Jacinda Distefano, Martin’s motivation to run with purpose through Running 4 Reasons has raise as much as $13,000 for causes that he believes in.
His legs are strong as a runner, but his soul is stronger as a kid who wants to have a positive effect on those around him. Like all Positive Athlete nominees, he now has access to modules and resources that will help him as he transitions from high school athlete, to developing entrepreneur at the University of Colorado.
To learn more about Positive Athlete and to nominate a kid to be a Positive Athlete, check out their website here.
