Spencer Johnson's path to Olympic Trials

Steady marathon progression culminates at CIM breakthrough

Mission accomplished = 2:17:07

In order to qualify for the United States Olympic Trials in the men’s marathon, a runner must complete a certified 26.2-miler in 2:18:00 or faster. So far, 114 men have qualified for the 2024 trials, to be held a year from now in Orlando.

Every runner on that list has a story. Some of them are famous, professional runners – stories that many of you who are fans of the sport probably know quite well. Many of the names on that list are anonymous except only to hard-core followers of the sport. Even for the most avid fan, some of the names may elude the grasp of memory and/or simply do not resonate with them.

My guess is that for most people, Number 86 on the list certainly fits that latter category. That guy sitting at Number 86 on the list is a young man near and dear to our heart. His name is Spencer Johnson. He’s from Connecticut and now lives in San Diego with his wife, Lauren. Since their magical and wonderful wedding last May back here in Connecticut, they now share each other’s names – Spencer Bossi-Johnson and Lauren Bossi-Johnson. This is perfect, because in so many ways, they are a perfect couple.

But alas, this is not a love story but rather a running story. Well, maybe, it’s a love story about the love of running, and the improbable ascension to national-caliber distance running of a little man with a big heart.

Spencer is a Marist College alum and I was honored to coach him for his five years (2013-2018) as an undergraduate and then graduate student on the Running Red Foxes. Spencer had a strong, solid career as a long-distance runner here in Poughkeepsie. As a freshman, he qualified for the USA Juniors (Under-20) Championships at 10,000 meters, an event for which he qualified and ran at the IC4A Championships three times. He is one of 31 men in program history to break 15 minutes for 5,000 meters, with a collegiate PR of 14:58.46 (side note: he’s 30^th on that all-time list). He was our second runner on one of our more memorable MAAC Championships (2015) in cross country, when the team finished a surprising second place to nationally-ranked Iona College.

More than that, Spencer was an excellent “citizen” of the program. Coaches talk all the time about “team culture.” Well, team culture starts with strong and quiet leaders like Spencer. When Spencer arrived on campus in the summer of 2013, he seemed some combination of pissed off and scared. I wasn’t sure he wanted to be there. Spencer was a quiet and reserved young man, and I’m sure he missed his girlfriend (now wife) Lauren a lot. It didn’t take long for Spencer to come out of his shell, thanks to a group of great classmates who would become lifelong friends. Spencer wasn’t pissed; I’m hard-pressed to remember ever seeing Spencer angry, even a little (fun fact: Spencer never swears … never! … he says “aw, dang,” when something is upsetting). He was just the humble young man we would get to know so well over the coming years.

Spencer earned his undergraduate degree in 2017 and stayed an extra year at Marist to get his masters as well as to complete his athletic eligibility. I always felt Spencer’s best race distances would be longer than the longest collegiate distance of 10,000 meters (college best = 30:53.84). Once he moved to San Diego to be with Lauren, eventually hooking up with the San Diego Track Club and its amazing runners who would become his new teammates and some of his best friends, Spencer’s running times exploded beyond all expectations, culminating in his Olympic Trials qualifying performance of 2:17:07 at the California International Marathon in December 2022.

This is the first in a series of long-form interviews that I will post periodically in this newsletter. Spencer has a compelling story to tell, and he said he loved telling it. When I say long form … I do mean LONG. So, take your time and enjoy Spencer’s story – even if it takes you a few sessions on your phone or laptop to get through it. Thanks in advance for reading it!

College racing form …

Give a brief background on your running history: When and why did you start running and when did you get serious about the sport?