Somers Teacher Runs 50-Mile Ultra-Marathon To Honor Mother

SOMERS, N.Y. – Running 50 miles straight as part of an ultra-marathon would be tiring for anyone, but Somers teacher and Danbury resident Jacob Bergmeier said the memory of his mother — who passed away 15 years ago — inspired him to give it everything he had.

Somers teacher and Danbury resident Jacob Bergmeier, center, crosses the finish line after a 50-mile ultra-marathon Sunday in honor of his mother who passed away 15 years ago.
Photo Credit: *Courtesy Jacob Bergmeier*

by Nathan Bruttell

04/23/2013 12:01 a.m.

Not only did Bergmeier, who teaches Spanish at Somers’ Kennedy Catholic, finish the longest race of his life, he also finished 10th out of hundreds of other runners Sunday afternoon at the 39th-annual race of the Jack Bristol Lake Waramaug Ultras at Lake Waramaug State Park in Connecticut.

Bergmeier said he was happy that he ran his best, but was more proud of exceeding his $3,000 goal in raising funds for cancer awareness in honor of his mother Mary Glennon Bergmeier.

“It was very emotional for me to be able to do this for her,” Bergmeier said Monday. “You hope family members and close friends will donate because they have that personal connection. But it was so overwhelming to have the amount of people who had no connection with my mother who donated — especially people in the Kennedy Catholic community.”

In the years since he lost his mother to breast cancer, Bergmeier said he has dedicated himself to honoring her in some way. Sunday’s race and the donations have marked the greatest tribute he’s made, but it will not be the last, Bergmeier said.

“I always try to do something great around the time of her passing and it has helped me connect with her more each year,” the 32-year-old said. “I definitely want to do this again next year and keep pushing myself and running ultra-marathons in the future. And if I’m not able to do it, I’ll want to be there at the aide station to help give-back and provide that encouragement for those who are running.”

Finishing the race could have been difficult if it wasn’t for the constant buzzing of text messages and Facebook posts Bergmeier said he received on his phone during the race.

“One of the great things about ultra-running is that you can carry a phone so I had it vibrating and binging at me the whole time I was running,” he said. “Every time my phone went off, I would check it and it was huge to have that get me through the run. It was very emotional to be able to have those messages constantly coming in and knowing that I had so much support around me.”

Click here to follow Daily Voice Somers and receive free news updates.