On April 12, OHS students and even staff members finally ran the half marathon with the non-profit organization Go! St. Louis for which they have been training for months. They rose at the crack of dawn to head downtown, ready to run 13.1 miles under the threat of wind and rain.

“It went very well. Better than expected,” said Mr. Bill Ebert, the social studies teacher who helped lead OHS in the program. “Everyone got up at 5 a.m. to come out here, and that shows dedication to the goal they set.”

Designed to encourage OHS to get active, training for this event began in November, and the runners have spent every week since building their endurance. Many devoted every afternoon to running. Six teachers participated in the marathon. Student runners numbered 47. Participants received t-shirts, shoes, and jackets for small fees of $20, which they wore when the big day came.

For the half-marathon itself, the OHS runners joined participants from all over St. Louis. at the starting line. The path would take them through the city under heavy cloud cover.

The fastest runner at the entire event ran it in 1 hour, 3 minutes, and 46 seconds. The fastest OHS runner, Nick Durham, finished at a staggering 1 hour, 31 minutes, and 38 seconds; others averaged about 2 hours or more.

“I hope they enjoyed the experience,” said Ebert.