NO BAD DAYS

By HQ Staff

“Tokyo has not disappointed!” Jeff Maher Kansas ’87 posted to Facebook in March 2024, after his sixth and final World Marathon Major. 

Maher and his wife, Tracy, set a goal 17 years ago to stay in shape as they entered their 40s and ran their first race in Chicago. Many races followed in major cities across the country, and Maher just kept running!

Before long, Maher finished seven Boston Marathons in a row. Fueled by the challenge, he trained hard to qualify for races and attain personal records (PR). The 2013 Boston Marathon had Maher hoping to finish under 3:10 for a new PR, but the hills of Newton challenged him, and his fueling and hydration was off. “I still ran my best Boston in 3:20, but I was disappointed.”

About 90 minutes after his finish, safe in the Copley Mall, Maher witnessed people swarming in from the streets. Chaos ensued, and lives thereafter were profoundly affected. “My pity party ended abruptly.” Suddenly, PRs and qualifying times weren’t that important. “My mindset completely changed,” he recalls. “Most of it had to do with the bombing, when I realized what truly matters is belonging to a community that supports each other.”

After that, Maher started running with a GoPro camera to document the races, offer commentary and, in general, not take things quite so seriously. “Hey, marathons are still serious distances, but if you can inject some levity, humor and fun – all the better!”

At one time, running in all the World Majors was in the back of Maher’s mind. “But life gets in the way and my kids were in their middle school and high school years, so international travel was not my first priority.” After Boston in 2017, Maher lost his desire to keep training and decided he had done enough marathons. It was time to move on to other adventures.

In the fall of 2020, Maher was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord/central nervous system. “My neurologist told me how important diet and exercise would be moving forward with MS, so I decided to get back on the horse.” Maher again made the World Majors a bucket list item, with the support of his family and friends.

“‘No Bad Days’ has become my mantra since the diagnosis.” Maher continues to challenge himself to keep moving, just at a different pace.

Back-to-back races in Berlin and London in the fall of 2022 set Maher up for his sixth World Major in Tokyo and his 28th marathon overall.

Training for Tokyo required Maher to overcome injury and uncertainty, but he persisted. To Maher’s delight, his family came to Tokyo for the experience, too. His initial resolve to come in under 4:00 was tossed aside due to injury, so he pulled back on his training to ensure a healthy finish. The first 19 miles went well, but Maher struggled through the final quarter of the race.

“The last 7-8 miles were a gut check,” Maher admits. Family celebrated along the last quarter mile with signs, cheering Maher on and lifting his spirits. “Tracy made ‘No Bad Days’ T-shirts they were all wearing. That made it even better!” He finished 4:57. While not his goal, he is thankful he made the healthy choice of not pushing too hard.

Maher did not plan to run Boston in 2024. But in early February, he was asked to replace an injured charity runner. This allowed the charity to maintain the coveted bib for the following year — all part of being in a community of like-minded people. “I knew I would be ’trained up’ from Toyko and agreed to help.” Because he was running for charity, Maher also had to raise funds, which totaled more than $37,000.

Through a charitable organization affiliated with Boston Children’s Hospital, Maher was paired with a 15-year-old “patient partner” named Anthony, who is confined to a wheelchair due to a rare neurological condition. Unfortunately, Anthony was in the hospital at the time of the race, so Maher brought the marathon to him. “I showed up at the hospital in full gear on Saturday before the Monday race.”

April 15 was a warm day to run, so Maher took it easy, stopping at every aid station for water and Gatorade. He ran a good first half and by mile 18 backed off by taking walk breaks. “I wanted to make it to see Anthony’s mom waiting for me at the finish line. It was my eighth Boston, but for sure one of the most fulfilling!”

Maher doesn’t have plans to slow down any time soon. He knows staying active will make living with MS so much easier in the long run. “The more we do, the more we can do, and for much longer.” Sounds like another T-shirt slogan in the making!

In 2025, Sydney, Australia, is in position to be named the seventh World Major. “If that happens, you will see me signing up! I did get my six-star medal, but if a seventh is added then I want to complete them all!”