I first caught up with ten-year-old Thomas Rush on December 3 when he ran circles around me as I enjoyed the Christmas light show at the Rolling Meadows Church of God. That’s when his mom, Jessie Rush of Waynesburg, told me that Thomas was about to complete a year of running a mile every day—a goal he’d set for himself on New Year’s Day 2023.
My “Oh wow!” was met with a smile from Mom. “And he has no plans to stop either. He told me he wants to keep on running!”
Jessie admits that running has become a family affair.
“I ran cross country in 2002, ‘03 and ‘04 for Central Greene.” Jessie remembers her best time was in ninth grade. But the best part of running for her is just to run. “It’s you against you. For me, it was the challenge of running that far and doing better than my own time. You don’t have to pay, you don’t have to have a team—all you need are some good shoes.”
Daughters Lexi, a senior at Central Greene, is into cross-country, and Linzy, a sophomore, is into track. Husband Tom is into long distance biking as a personal goal. The family drove across America in early May 2022 so that Tom could begin his bike ride home starting at the Golden Gate Bridge. Jesse drove the van while Tom biked. She and the kids ran and biked whenever they got the chance as they camped out and went to church on Sunday at different churches until they got to Yorktown, Virginia and the end of Tom’s ride. “Thomas got to run through lots of little towns with me all the way back. Thomas didn’t run every day like I did, but he ran in some really cool places like the Golden Gate Bridge.”
Jessie tells me she thinks because she enjoys running “the kids picked up on it. Plus, Thomas really loves being outside.” Thomas has also played soccer since age five with the Greene County Soccer League. It’s a game that’s easy on the budget, Jessie added. “All they need are shin guards, cleats and a ball and parents’ drive.” Even on game day, Thomas and Jessie still find time to run.
Jessie appreciates having Thomas as a motivator.
“There are times when I come home from work and I’m just, you know, want to not do it right away or maybe just sit down, but there’s Thomas saying ‘Come on, Mom!’”
When running every day, expect the unexpected, Jessie said. “One time when we ran by the courthouse after a farmer’s market there were gourds left on the courthouse wall. So we each took one and ran with them instead of picking them up when we were done. We decorated the table for Thanksgiving with those gourds. Sometimes I wear a head lamp when it gets dark, sometimes we carry light up sticks or light up antlers or different kinds of silly hats—it’s all for fun and it keeps us going even when the weather is bad.”
Running every day doesn’t have to be in the same place.
According to Thomas, the Greene County Fairgrounds is a great place to run—it gives him a chance to race his mom. According to Jesse’s Apple watch, a couple of laps on the road around the tracks, including a sprint through the tunnels, then a hard race back to the road is a good country mile. So is running on High Street past the courthouse, down a variety of streets (just to keep it interesting), then back to the car. There’s also the nature trail at school and, for a change, a drive to trails in Morgantown or the Greene River Trail near Rices Landing where Jesse meets up with friends every first Saturday of the month, when the weather allows, for a group run.
I got my classic runners shot for this story at the fairgrounds as Thomas loped ahead of his mom, racing her through the tunnels, then slowing down and speeding up as she kept her own runner’s pace that she developed in high school that is now a part of her own healthy exercise regime. But for Thomas, these daily outings are just a hint of what is yet to come if his love of running continues to grow.
On New Year’s Eve, Thomas and Jessie finished their run-a-mile-every-day-for-a-year promise as they ran from McDonalds in East Waynesburg up to the red light at Porter Street and back, with Lexi and Linzy holding the ribbon they broke as they came across Freedom Bridge.
Thomas and his mom are still running, still finding different places to do a mile, sometimes a little more. “We parked at Catnip Acres on Morris Street yesterday and ran on Rolling Meadows Road up through Lions Club Park then on the sidewalk on Roy Furman Highway back to the car,” Jessie told me when I called before turning this story in to say how proud I was of her and Thomas. “Today we’ll park at Walmart and run around all the buildings and back to the car. My Apple watch tells me that’s a mile too. If you see us running, feel free to honk and wave or yell ‘good job’. We love the encouragement.”
If you want to run every first Saturday of the month at Greene River Trail, email Jessie at jrush878@gmail.com