BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, (CVILLE RIGHT NOW)- It’s no secret that the chief executive at the University of Virginia loves the sport of running, and Monday morning he competed in his 14th straight Boston Marathon.  Ryan was dedicated his participation in this year’s event to brain research in the area of memory impairment at the UVA Health System.   Coached by local running and fitness advocate Mark Lorenzoni, Ryan posted one of his best times in recent memory completing the marathon in 3 hours and 14 seconds.  His coach was very pleased with Ryan’s performance saying ” Jim did fantastic.  We were hoping to break 3 hours and 24 minutes but he ran 3:14!  [He] qualified for his 15th straight Boston with 16 minutes to spare.  He needed to run [a time of] 3:30.”  In order to continue competing in Boston Marathons, because of the prestige in the event, runners have to meet certain time benchmarks for their age group, and Ryan cleared that hurdle easily.

Ryan continues to host multiple events on grounds where he runs with university students to get to know them and also connect himself to the Charlottesville community.  As a matter of fact, the very first time President Ryan was interviewed on WINA was after he ran the Charlottesville Ten Miler, shortly after he had been announced as Teresa Sullivan’s successor.  According to UVA spokesperson Brian Coy,      ” Ryan’s other marathon runs as UVA president have raised more than $100,000 for charities benefitting teachers, nurses and veterans.”