Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
OREM — Only one person can cross the finish line first. Likewise, there is only one person who can cross the finish line last. John Bozung has experienced both.
Recently, however, his last-place finish was celebrated with confetti and fanfare, as Bozung was the recipient of not only a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, but an accomplishment that really shouldn't be possible.
On Jan. 7, 70-year-old Bozung crossed the finish line at the Walt Disney World Marathon in Buena Vista, Florida, after 7 hours, 58 minutes and 28 seconds. The race was his 533rd marathon, and completing it continued his 28-year, nine-month streak of running a marathon every month.
When I was running those marathons, I noticed that my body wasn't hurting anymore, and I decided to keep my streak going.
– John Bozung, 70-year-old marathoner
Crossing the finish line these days, however, isn't as easy as it once was, because in April of 2021, Bozung was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer. His run is now a walk, often with poles in hand, but Bozung says he is going to keep moving forward as long as he can — even if it means he comes in last place.
"I've had a couple of last-place finishes now, because I just can't run anymore," he said. "Being celebrated at the finish line at the Walt Disney World Marathon was a great surprise because it wasn't an easy race, and the look on my face really says it all. It was an awesome experience, and the photo that was taken is my favorite one, yet."
This is saying a lot, coming from a man who has had as many race finishes as Bozung. He began running in high school, as a hurdler and middle-distance runner who, oddly enough, refused to do longer distances. Bozung said it was in 1987, at the age of 35, when he ran his first marathon and swore he'd never do another. Eighteen months later, he ran another, and then several more over the next few years.
And then he turned 40.
"When I turned 40, I thought, 'OK, I want to do the four major marathons in the U.S. when I'm 40," he said. "I did Chicago, New York, Boston and Los Angeles. In the middle of that was also the St. George Marathon and my first Walt Disney World Marathon. By the time I hit the Los Angeles marathon, I had seven marathons in seven months.
"When I was running those marathons, I noticed that my body wasn't hurting anymore, and I decided to keep my streak going."
These marathons weren't slow, either — according to elite marathon standards. Bozung was able to run several sub-three-hour marathons, averaging under a seven-minute mile. In 1996 he earned a qualifying time for the prestigious Boston Marathon 14 times. In the midst of all that, he managed to snag a marathon win at the Mt. Everest Challenge Marathon in Darjeeling, India, high in the Himalayas.
Bozung also became the first to run a marathon on all seven continents in one year, and he later became a member of the 50 States Marathon Club.
Running became a way of life, and he committed to running a marathon every month for the foreseeable future. Bozung eventually earned a world record he not only holds to this day, but adds to as the months go on.
In 2005, Bozung upped the ante by running 52 marathons in 52 weeks to commemorate his 52nd year around the sun. Running all those races paid off because in October that year, at the St. George Marathon, he met a woman he now calls his wife.
"Some friends of mine introduced me to their friend Marcy, and then we started running together," he said. "Three months later at the finish line of the Walt Disney World Marathon, I proposed to her. We've been together for 18 years now, and have run 70 marathons together."
Slowing down, but not done yet
When Bozung was diagnosed with cancer, he knew it would slow him down, but he said he has been determined to not let it stop him.
"A lot of people hear the word 'cancer' and they think it's a death penalty, so they quit and it is a death penalty," he said. "I tell people that you don't stop. You don't quit. You don't give up. You stay positive, you stay strong, you try to find a way to make things work because if you don't, then you do lose the battle. That goes with a lot of things; not just with cancer.
"I tell people that some days are good days and some days are bad days, but as long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you'll get there. It might not be pretty, but you'll get there, and all that matters is finishing."
While he relies a lot on his inner strength to put one foot in front of the other, Bozung said he hasn't done it alone.
"My wife Marcy has been right by my side, and I'm a believer in miracles," he said. "I'm a firm believer in what President (Russell M.) Nelson — and this goes whether you're (Latter-day Saint) or not — that we need to 'expect and pray for miracles.'"
He made special note of a friend who has been by his side for many years, someone who has made a point to see him to his monthly marathon goal.
"My dad once told me that you'll be lucky if you'll be able to count on one hand how many close friends you'll have, and Steve Kissell has been there for me," Bozung said. "He's ran 22 of the last 30 marathons with me, and has been by my side since I was diagnosed."
Bozung hopes to continue his monthly marathon streak until he hits 30 years of it.
"My goal (if I can make it) is to get to 30 years," he said. "I have another year and three months — if my body will let me. I'm trying, and that's all I can do."
