LEADER OF THE PACK
Former Edmond Santa Fe runner Bahreini claims title
With 50 days left until the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon men’s race, Arya Bahreini hadn’t run in three whole months as he recovered from leg tendinitis.
Long odds for a championship with a shortened training regimen. But a challenge accepted from the 23-year-old former distance runner at Oklahoma City University, who put in critical last-minute miles to become competition ready.
“I felt really strong, and I knew I would definitely be contending for the title,” Bahreini said.
“It was just, run conservative from the beginning and just stay strong throughout the race.”
Bahreini, who also ran for Edmond Santa Fe High School’s cross country team, took the lead after about the first mile and said, “the wind was really brutal from like mile 11 to mile 18.” But after 2 hours, 29 minutes, and 17 seconds, he became a first-time winner of the 26.2-mile men’s race. Bahreini also won the half-marathon in 2014.
“I’m not the quickest person, but I can maintain a good pace for a while,” Bahreini said. “I just used my strengths to my advantage.” As chronicled by The
Oklahoman’s Jenni Carlson in February 2016, Arya Bahreini (pronounced AIR-ee-uh buh-RAYnee) is first-generation Iranian-American and was the youngest competitor in last year’s U.S. Olympic marathon trials. He finished 38th overall.
“Arya’s success will bring an overall positive impact to the IranianAmerican community,” said Patti Ahadizadeh, secretary of the United Iranian American Society of Oklahoma who has known Bahreini’s family for nearly two decades, in a 2016 interview with The
Oklahoman. “It will bring a new perspective ... different from the general image that is portrayed in the media of Iranians.”
As a student-athlete at OCU, Bahreini won NAIA marathon championships three-straight times. He has since graduated and plans on pursuing a professional career in dentistry.
As he wiped the sweat from his brow following several interviews Sunday, though, talks of the future could wait. Bahreini had just one thing in mind after his victory.
“Sit down and relax,” he said. “I’m tired.”