Fisher Hamilton: He ran his first marathon last month … and won

Published 9:07 am Friday, February 17, 2023

“I was pretty shocked,” the 27-year-old engineer admitted. “It was surreal.”

Hamilton looks like a runner, a bit lanky. His manner is laid back, and if being the first out of thousands to lean into the finish line tape after running 26.2 miles has gone to his head, there is no indication. Finish time was 2:32:41, seven minutes ahead of the runner up and under the mark needed to qualify for the 2024 Boston Marathon.

He plans to be ready for that race. The Louisiana Marathon was a bit of lark, he explained.

“My parents and I went to enjoy the weekend,” he said. “I had a glass of wine and veal parmigiana the night before, best red sauce – ever. It’s what I plan to have from now on before every race.”

The pasta might have been a good way to carb load, but at the ten-mile mark, Hamilton couldn’t stomach the snack needed to boost his fuel stores. About mile 20, he began to feel lightheaded, depleted.

“I was very smooth at the start and felt under control. I was running with another guy and we both understood that it was going to be me or him,” he said.

The last couple of miles, Hamilton “got a little adrenaline rush and realized “it was going to happen.” Parents Bruce and Joni Hamilton were just across the finish line.

“We were all just laughing and cracking up. We couldn’t believe it,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton didn’t run competitively until his senior year at St. Louis High School. To make the basketball team, he had to run a seven-minute mile. He ran it in five.

“They practically forced me to run track and cross country,” he said with a grin.

It took him a while to realize he could be good at track and long distance running, maybe even place in some local competitions.

“So I did my year at St. Louis, and didn’t really intend to keep running,” he said.

Brendon Gilroy, head coach of the track and field program suggested that Hamilton “walk on, give it a shot, and stick around if he liked it.”

“I don’t think anybody believed I would stick with it,” he said. “Walk-ons quit all the time.”

Hamilton didn’t. He ran McNeese for five years and ended up accomplishing a lot more than he thought he was capable of.

“After that, I was mentally exhausted,” he said. “Physically, I still felt like a machine. I could do really well, but…”

It was a tough five years, and not just as a runner. Getting an engineering degree was no cakewalk.

“I know you’re busy in life, but it was always, you know, practice, practice, practice. So, we’re running about 60 to 70 miles a week and that was before class. I was done. I was tired,” he said.

He kept running, but for his own enjoyment and to stay in shape. The distance varied, and he said many people are surprised to learn that training for a marathon doesn’t mean running over 26 miles every time. He had done a couple of 20-mile runs before the Louisiana Marathon.

In September last year, he was on a run and thought he might like to run the Boston Marathon and  a first step would be the Louisiana Marathon.

“I don’t really know how I finished it, and I really feel satisfied. So, I decided to take a four week break to drink cheap whiskey and good beer.”