Engaged and Ready for the Trials
By Ryan Kerley
Evan Schwartz has already been on one of the most important runs of his life. On December 20, 2018, at the end of an easy run, he proposed to his then-girlfriend, Sakiko Minagawa, at the site of the couple’s first-ever run together: Interim Park in Columbus, Ohio.
That run on a cold and rainy day won’t be the only big run they’ll ever take together. Both Schwartz and his bride-to-be will be competing at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon.
Growing up in Columbus, Schwartz began his running career in middle school. His father steered him towards running, and he has not looked back since. Schwartz has always been a determined runner, and this helped earn him a walk-on position at Ohio State University.
Unfortunately, Schwartz’s time as a Buckeye did not go as planned. He was cut from the team during finals week his sophomore year. “Everybody has a time to hang up their spikes, and your time is now,” his coach told him.
Schwartz did not allow this to end his running career. “I will never quit running… just because somebody tells you that you have to stop running does not mean that you have to,” Schwartz said.
Not ready to give up, he turned to road racing, running for the Columbus Running Company. There he met Minagawa, who noticed his attitude.
“He definitely had a chip on his shoulder,” she said.
Schwartz ran a 2:31:58 at his first marathon in 2015. Just two years later, he reached a new PR and qualified for the trials, running a 2:18:17 in 2017 at the California International Marathon.
Now Schwartz looks ahead to the trials on February 29, but that is not the only big event he is preparing for. His wedding with Minagawa will take place in May, just a few months after the big race. He is also working for the startup company Stryd in Boulder, Colorado where he serves as the director for elite athletes and coaches.
Schwartz is realistic about his chances in Atlanta. Despite being an excellent runner, he knows he is not the fastest participant in this race. Rather than focusing solely on his own training, Schwartz has discovered a passion in pacing and training other runners, including Minagawa.
Schwartz trains frequently with Minagawa, claiming she is a better runner than he is. He will often change his training routines in order to pace her and make sure she is in the best possible shape.
“I’m very thankful he has that kind heart to help others and sometimes sacrifice his own training,” she said.
Aside from his work with Stryd and training with his fiancée, Schwartz is also a running coach with Simple Athletics and has two different running podcasts. His life appears to revolve around running, but it is actually based on assisting others.
After the trials, he wants to focus on enjoying running, continuing his journey with his running and life partner, and helping other runners achieve their goals. “Selfishly for me I get more reward out of that rather than being in 100% shape for me,” Schwartz said.
Leading up to the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon, Atlanta Track Club partnered with the Grady Sports Media program at the University of Georgia to profile some of the competitors in the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. The authors of these stories are undergraduate students enrolled in the program and have been lightly edited by the Club. See all of the stories at https://www.atlanta2020trials.com/news/uga-trials-project.