School Community Cheers Marathon-Running Associate Principal

David Ewers, Shawnee Mission North associate principal, was supposed to run the Boston Marathon on April 20. Instead, the marathon was canceled and Ewers was sent on another journey.

 “Six weeks ago I thought today was going to be one of the most memorable days of my life,” Ewers said.  “Turns out I was right.”

Ewers qualified for the race by running the Indianapolis Marathon in a qualifying time in November of 2018. But, due to Covid-19, the marathon was canceled for the first time in its 124-year history. 

“Running Boston is a pretty big deal for runners and I was really looking forward to it” Ewers added. 

After sharing the situation with colleagues, Katie Moorehead, social studies teacher, Britt Sherer, social studies teacher, and Aaron Davidson, physical education teacher,  surprised him by creating a 26.2 mile route for him to run locally.

“They created a route for me that took me by each of their houses,” Ewers said.  “They said they would set out Gatorade, jelly beans and stuff like that to keep me going.”  

What Ewers didn’t know was that the entire route was shared with Shawnee Mission North staff. Numerous supporters showed up to encourage him along the way.  SM North physical education teacher, Aaron Davidson, joined Ewers in running with him (at a distance) for part of his journey.

Ewers shares that he was overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness of coworkers and turnout of supporters.

“It was amazing!” he added. “There were people along the whole route. Everyone was so nice. It made the run so much fun!” 

Ewers’ wife created a balloon arch “finish line” as neighbors greeted him at the completion of the race.

 “The neighborhood was outside in the rain as I finished,” Ewers shared. “It was unbelievable!”

“Photo submissions from Katie Moorehead.”