A University of South Carolina student is coming off a personal milestone that many runners dream of accomplishing.
Matt Mossell, fourth-year criminal justice student and Sumter native, finished the Chicago Marathon with a time of 5:34:00.
The Chicago Marathon was the first marathon for Mossell, who said he really enjoyed the experience.
“It was just a great feeling of accomplishment," Mossell said.
As for why he chose the Chicago Marathon for his first big race, Mossell said it came down to the location.
“My dad's from the Chicago area and we've got family up there still," he said. "Chicago is one of my favorite big cities.”
Mossell started running when he was a sophomore in high school as a way to stay active and relieve stress.
"It’s a good way to clear the mind," he said.
After Mossell's third year at South Carolina, he took a semester off to join the army reserves. That summer, he completed basic training. In the fall, he participated in advanced training in Virginia, which caused him to miss that fall semester.
Since Mossell returned late in the semester, he decided to stay at home and focus on pursuing his running career. He joined a running group called Team Red, White and Blue, which motivated him to run the marathon.
Running a marathon is no easy feat, no matter how long one has been running or training. In fact, Mossell would have preferred to train more, but his ultimate goal was to finish the race.
Mossell's dad, Mark Mossell, is also a runner and has run multiple marathons in the past, including the Chicago Marathon twice. He knows the hard work that is required to complete a marathon and was really happy for his son when he finished.
“We’re real proud of Matt for finishing the race," Mark Mossell said. "You know, it was a goal that he set for himself. He put his mind to it and got it done."