The Red & White

On Sunday, October 12th, 2025, a marathon was held in Newport, RI. Runners start at 7:45 am. The Newport marathon attracted many St. George’s students, including Peter Duhamel and CJ Briere. As someone who is out of breath after climbing the AB stairs, completing a marathon is extremely impressive! I wondered, how can someone dedicate themselves to running continuously for 26.2 miles? What’s their thought process? Why did they sign up? I was able to receive insight from my friends and interviewees, CJ Briere and Peter Duhamel. First, why did they sign up? CJ told me he had been at a military boot camp for most of his summer. After weeks of intense physical training, he got the courage to compete in the Opinons Editor Newport marathon. Peter initially signed up for the half-marathon, but changed his mind right after his cross-country meet, following a surge of new confidence in his running ability. During the race, Peter was able to distract his mind by talking with his friends, and felt challenged by miles 15-18. CJ was extremely focused during his run, although he struggled on mile twenty-four. Cyrus Madom ’26 told me he tried cheering on CJ, and he was so focused and “locked in” that he did not even hear Cyrus Madom from five feet away. The boys were thankful they finished before the intense rainfall that Sunday, which left other runners absolutely soaked, as I witnessed while heading into Newport that morning. As CJ and Peter crossed the finish line, they recalled a great sense of relief. Peter felt pretty normal after the race, although CJ’s friends recalled he went “nonverbal”. CJ entered the race without training and only his cross-country experience, and he finished in third place in his age division! He explained that he just left it all out there in the race and tried to challenge himself to the best of his ability. In all, the runners feel a real sense of accomplishment and motivation after completing the marathon. I asked, “Would you run another marathon in the future?” and to my surprise, they both responded absolutely! In fact, others felt motivated to complete a marathon in the future by watching their peers run as well. In all, the Newport marathon brought together the Rhode Island community as well as the St. George’s one. Many students and faculty members tried something new Others continued their love for running marathons and inspired friends to run a marathon too.