Humans of LPHS: Mr. Beres

“My wife kind of got me into running. It was somewhere around March 2003. I went to run, and I couldn’t run a full mile. I couldn’t run a full mile straight, but by February of 2004, I ran my first marathon without basically stopping. So I kind of just started with a 5K and then did a 10K in June, and in October, I did a half marathon. I thought it was logical, and the next step was a marathon, so I looked on Google, and I thought I could train for three months and a February marathon in Las Vegas was one that was open, so I signed up for that. Then it just kind of just went from there, and then I started coaching Cross Country not long after that, and I think it sort of set an example when I was here with the kids six days each week anyways. I would run with them, and then it was really just a matter of one extra day running on my own. It just kind of became an obsessive thing where I just wanted to make sure to put a number in every day. I ran every day for about four years because my wife was training and kind of embarrassing me because she could run marathons, and I couldn’t run. It was kind of just the competitive nature I guess.”

“In 2012, one of my former runners was getting married, and I had kept in contact with him, and he told me he wanted me to marry him and his fiancé. I thought he was joking, but a couple months went by and he asked again. I realized he was serious about it and looked online and just needed my credit card and about 10 minutes, and I got my Ordained Minister’s license. I really thought it was an honor that somebody respected me enough to ask me to perform a wedding ceremony. After that, I’ve had several requests. I’ve done three weddings-typically all former runners- and two baptisms, and I have another wedding in the Summer. I’ve had requests to marry people I don’t know, and that’s not really of interest to me. I make it very personal. It’s kind of funny to me how it’s not really about being religious; it’s about the respect somebody has for me that they would request me to marry them.”