Father and son finish Buffalo Marathon

Photo courtesy of Thom Jennings – Thom Jennings of Albion and his son Thom Jr. both ran the Buffalo Marathon today, completing the 26.2-mile course.

BUFFALO – A year ago Thom Jennings and his son Thom Jr. finished the Buffalo Half Marathon together, crossing the finish line in 2 hours, 11 minutes.

Today they both ran the full marathon, covering the 26.2-mile course. It was their second marathon together, after running the Rochester Marathon last September.

The elder Jennings, 47, finished the course in 4:45. His son, 25, crossed the finish line about 45 minutes later. The younger Jennings battled some intestinal issues, but he persevered and finished.

“He really gutted it out,” his father said.

The two have both lost a lot of weight the past two years and have used long-distance races as motivation to stay healthy and trim.

“Once you lose a lot of weight, it’s hard to keep it off,” said the elder Jennings, who lost 100 pounds in the past two years.

He works as a social worker in Rochester, and also as a freelance writer and concert promoter. His son works in the digital sales division for The Buffalo News. The younger Jennings has lost 60 pounds in the past 18 months. He is working on becoming a certified personal trainer.

The two want to try other endurance challenges, including a 10-mile Tough Mudder, which features obstacles along a muddy course.

The elder Jennings also is toying with the idea of running 50-mile race before he turns 50. He also is interested in helping to plan a long-distance run in Orleans County. He thinks it would pull runners from both Rochester and Buffalo.