From finish to start: Canonsburg native tackles back-to-back marathons
Courtesy of Travis Myers-Arrigoni
When Travis Myers-Arrigoni crossed the finish line of the 2019 Philadelphia Marathon in 2:29:32, he qualified for one of running’s most elite races: Boston Marathon. After a hiatus due to COVID, Myers-Arrigoni finally raced Boston April 18, where he set a personal record. Here, he cruises along the iconic course.
Courtesy of Travis Myers-Arrigoni
Last year was one of setbacks and comebacks for Travis Myers-Arrigoni, who set a personal record at Boston Marathon two weeks ago and races the Pittsburgh Marathon this weekend. Here, he PRs at the Liberty Mile race in May 2021.
Pittsburgh’s streets will be lined with Southwestern Pennsylvanians and out-of-towners cheering on athletes who haven’t raced amidst the pulsing crowds in Steel City since the pandemic began.
And Canonsburg native Travis Myers-Arrigoni will be in the thick of it, racing to complete his second marathon in as many weeks.
“I don’t really know how my body is going to react to this,” Myers-Arrigoni, who serves as retail experience manager at Fleet Feet, said after running to work from his Mt. Washington home late last week.
“The last two weeks, just trying to get as much rest as possible and not do anything stupid. I feel way more energized than I thought I would. If I end up running how I did with Boston at Pittsburgh, if I run an even race … and just focus on the atmosphere and having fun, I think this is going to be a positive experience.”
Runners traditionally enjoy a few weeks of rest after racing 26.2 miles. But after just two weeks of shakeouts, stretches and light training, Myers-Arrigoni is back to the start, eager to be part of the first in-person Pittsburgh marathon in two years.
“Pittsburgh – it obviously doesn’t have the history that Boston does, but maybe I’m just biased by living here and getting to run these streets all the time, but Pittsburgh really puts on an incredible race,” he said.
The same might be said of Myers-Arrigoni, who crossed the finish line along Boylston Street in Boston – a dream runners spend their lives chasing – April 18, in 2:29:19.
“It was a 14-second PR,” Myers-Arrigoni said. “Coming through half in this race was my second-fastest half. I thought, this is either going to be a really breakthrough day, or I’m going to hit a wall. I ended up hitting a wall. After (mile) 20, 21, my quads just felt like they were cooked.”
His wife, Hopi’s, cheers, coupled by the crowd’s support, spurred Myers-Arrigoni to the finish line of one of running’s most iconic courses. That finishing feeling, he said, exceeded expectations.
“It was just surreal. It’s one of the oldest marathons in the world. You see people that come into the store every day, they’ve been desperately trying to get into Boston. To be able to be there and be able to experience the atmosphere; it’s like the whole city shuts down that day. The whole time you’re running, you see people cheering and going crazy,” Myers-Arrigoni said. “It’s hard to explain when you’re not there. You’re running down Boylston and you’re like, ‘Wow, I’m right here.’ It definitely over-exceeded any expectation I had. I really, really, really enjoyed it.”
Racing Boston was a lifetime highlight Myers-Arrigoni nearly missed.
When the pandemic hit in March 2020, he was laid off at Fleet Feet for nine weeks. Running became therapy.
“That was the only thing I could do,” he said. “Just being able to get outside and have some sense of normalcy, it was really important just to my overall sanity.”
Near the end of that first COVID year, though, Myers-Arrigoni (a decorated runner who twice led his Canon-McMillan High School cross-country team to WPIALs, earned all-region honors his 2011 and 2012 cross-country seasons at Slippery Rock University and has taken gold multiple times at local races, including last year’s Whiskey Rebellion 5K) sustained an injury that put him out of commission for 20 weeks.
“Pretty much all of 2021 was just kind of getting a base back together,” Myers-Arrigoni said.
He spent the first quarter of the year recovering, conditioning and exploring hiking trails with his wife. In May 2021, Myers-Arrigoni took first at 5K in Beaver County. In July, he clocked his fastest one-mile time at the Fleet Feet Liberty Mile in Pittsburgh, finishing the race in 4 minutes, 31 seconds.
A distance runner at heart, the athlete turned his attention to ultramarathons. Last November, Myers-Arrigoni completed the Regal Beagle 50K in Akron, Ohio. He trudged through wetlands, ran through woods and took rolling hills in stride to set a course record, 3:11:25 – 17 minutes faster than the previous course record.
“That whole world is just so cool; just a different experience,” Myers-Arrigoni said of ultrarunning. “You’re out in nature. You’re just kind of pushing your body to the brink. Eventually, I would like to do a 100-mile race. It’s a crazy distance. I just want to have fun in the sport and have a lot of fun stories and experiences.”
Experience is what Myers-Arrigoni is all about these days. Before the pandemic, the runner had his sights set on the Olympics.
“I’m pretty green to marathoning, and I think I have a lot of potential, so making the Olympic Trials was a big thing,” he said. “I hate that everything is kind of pointed back to COVID and my injury, but it did shift my thinking in a lot of ways. I want to be able to still run and compete and have fun in the sport when I’m in my 60s and 70s. That’s become a big focus.”
Today, though, he’s focused solely on having as much fun as possible while completing his second marathon in two weeks, in his home city. While his legs may be a little tired as he cruises through the City of Bridges, he’s got more than passion and determination driving him to the finish.
His wife, Hopi, will complete her first half-marathon, and Myers-Arrigoni is eager to cheer her on the way she has cheered him on through the years.
“Originally, I wasn’t even planning on doing Boston. I think missing these races … and just realizing the fragility of life, it was just like, hey, I don’t want to miss this. Especially Pittsburgh. It’s such an amazing race. This is a really big thing for the city and I just really want to be a part of it,” Myers-Arrigoni said.
“I just want, at the end of the day, to run a smart race, just have a lot of fun, just give as many high fives as I can while I’m running. When I finish, I want to be there for (Hopi) and just see her finish. She’s been training like crazy. She’s overcome a lot. I feel like she’s helped me so much. Just seeing her push through this training and seeing her confidence grow, it’s really inspired me.”