Jason Quarford

By Shawna Carpentier
UWRF Sports Information

Jason Quarford has been running since he was a little boy with his parents Mark and Mary and "it developed into a passion," says Quarford. "I've been running ever since."  

The Falcon cross country runner has been running for UWRF for four years. Falcon Coach Dan Glover says, "Jason brings an amazing ability to run a lot of miles." Glover believes that he is an athlete who, "has an ability to handle large amounts of work, and he has the ability to push himself beyond what most athletes can."

Quarford was recruited by Glover to run for the Falcons. The prestige of being a collegiate athlete is something Quarford always wanted. "I have always admired collegiate runners and their hard work ethic; I wanted to be one of those runners," he says.

If Quarford could follow in any runner's footsteps, it would be Frank Shorter, one of Quarford's idols who signed one of his cross country medals when he was a boy. Shorter is a professional runner "one of the best U.S. marathoners of all time," says Glover. Glover says Quarford reminds him of Shorter because he believes Quarford is only going to get better.  

Voted Most Dedicated Runner in 2003 and 2004, the three-time letter winner's dedication will not hold him back from being the best runner he can. Quarford's passion is healthy living, according to Glover; Quarford is "a good example for the younger runners to follow."

Although Quarford has brought a "new era of quality runners" when he came to UWRF four years ago, it is what Quarford does not do that any serious runner can admire.

"I don't consume any of the following foods/drinks: ice cream, cake, donuts, candy, cookies, pop, chocolate, pies, butter, margarine, sour cream, alcohol, coffee, French fries," says Quarford. Many people would say that being "health conscious" is an understatement, but according to Glover, "it is a good example for all."

The Falcon cross country team philosophy is "to work hard and have fun," Glover says. Glover says the main goal of the team is to eventually make it to the NCAA National meet. Quarford agrees with his coach and thinks that people need to "realize that running can be both enjoyable and challenging." He believes cross country is a sport for everyone, not only does he say it is about "self-improvement" and "fitness," but it is about "having fun."

Quarford grew up in Rosemount, Minn., where he began running competitively in 7th grade. During his senior year, he helped lead Rosemount's cross country team to the state tournament. Glover says the community of Rosemount gets to see a lot of running from Quarford. Quarford promotes cross country "every time I run," he says. So far, Quarford's best time has been 27-minutes flat in an 8,000-meter race. Only time will tell just how fast Quarford will go in the future.

His work ethic, determination, and discipline are reflected not only in him as a runner, but as a student. Quarford is majoring in biomedical with a chemistry minor. Glover says Quarford has shared with him that he plans to pursue a career as a physician's assistant. Having this much ambition is not easy for a student, let alone a student-athlete. Giving up most of his free time to study and limiting his amount of sleep every night is worth it to Quarford - even if he does only get around five hours of rest.  

Some college students would have a hard time staying awake in class with this much sleep, but Quarford says: "I strive to be the best that I can, both athletically and academically. If I can accomplish that, them I'm satisfied."  

Quarford tries to learn something new everyday. Although he may not have time too much time outside of cross country and the classroom, he does enjoy watching movies, biking, lifting weights, and reading books. He is also "pretty good at Photoshop and digital editing." "I have pictures of myself superimposed on the bodies of Spiderman, Wolverine, [and] James Bond," says Quarford.

He sees himself as an "old man who runs 10 miles everyday before sunrise, goes to work during the day, then lifts weights in the evening," says Quarford about his future. Enjoying the toughness of cross country and the feeling of "self-satisfaction" and "gratification" does not seem to be something that Quarford will get tired of anytime soon.

If he had the opportunity, he would, "run on the moon."   

"I believe that Jason will be running for the rest of his life," says Glover who is very proud of the senior.