SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – July 27, 2015 (Gephardt Daily) – University of Utah Bennion Community Service Center director Dean McGovern was profiled last week in an article in Runner’s World magazine for helping his stepson run his first 20 mile marathon.
McGovern, who lives in Utah, is an avid runner. When his stepson River Nuzzo, 15, a high-school cross country runner, asked him if he felt he could run a marathon on his own, he immediately told him yes, that he believed in him. In an attempt to help River achieve that goal, he came up with a game plan that worked out perfectly for both of them.
McGovern is a pace runner for the Missoula Marathon in Montana which is also their prior hometown. Ironically, the day after River asked about the running a marathon, McGovern’s pace partner was injured and unable to attend the race. That’s when the idea to have River replace him came to mind.
The race took place on July 12. 2015 and both McGovern and River completed the full 20 miles.
McGovern was interviewed about his experience helping his stepson prepare for the teen’s first marathon, a race where the pair served as pacers for other runners. “Running with my son, River, was such a joy,” says McGovern. “It was inspiring to see how hard he worked.”
McGovern says he sees many similarities between running and his day job helping University of Utah faculty and students engage with the community in quality programs that offer deep learning with great impact. “The Bennion Center is setting the pace for how community-engaged learning changes lives,” he said.
You can read the entire Runner’s World article about the race and Mcgovern and his stepson here.
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