Reed reignites running career

SANDUSKY — Brett Reed's comeback is complete. Reed, a 2020 St. Mary Central Catholic graduate, hit rock bottom in his running career a year ago. He questioned whether he'd ever return to the form that made him a standout athlete in high school and college. He showed Sunday that he is back as he added to a strong string of races this year by running 13.1 miles in 1 hour, 24 minutes to help his relay team finish first overall at the Ironman 70.3 Ohio. "This year for me has been really good for races," Reed said. "The confidence was as high as it was in college. The love was there again." Reed, 24, did not do well at last year's Ironman. "Last year I blew up. My time was so bad," he said. "After that, I needed to start training again and get some redemption." How bad did it get? Reed was struggling on the Ironman run course through downtown Sandusky and actually stopped and had a beer in someone's front yard. "Last year I blew up so bad that these people were offering beers in their front yard," Reed said. "They said they had IPAs and I said no. 'We got Miller Lite.' I was like, 'OK, I'll catch you on the way back.' "Once I got down to the end of Madison, I turned back around and they were waiting for me. I just stopped and hung out in their front yard for like two minutes and had a beer with them. I wasn't really worried about my pace at the time. It's been quite a turnaround." Reed's winning relay team included fellow SMCC graduate David Grant, who was scheduled to handle the swim portion before it was canceled. The team's biker was Johnny Del Balso, a late addition. Del Balso, from Cleveland, biked 56 miles in 2 hours, 4 minutes — the fastest bike split of the day. That gave Reed a nice lead heading into the half marathon. His teammates weren't going to let him cruise to the finish line, though. "I felt good. I remembered the course and there were a lot of people out there cheering us on," Reed said. "David also lied to me and told me that the next guy was seven minutes behind me. I was like, 'OK, I can't let up now.' By the time I was at Mile 9 he told me I had a 23-minute gap. I was like, 'all right.' "I think they knew if I had enough room I would let up. I was kinda glad they didn't because it always feels good to run a little quicker." Reed has been plenty quick this year. In early April, he won the Humane Society 5K in Sandusky. That was a warmup for the Toledo Marathon at the end of the month. "I'm not a long-distance guy," Reed said. "Half (marathon) is the farthest I go, but I had to get a marathon done. I feel like when you run, the first thing anyone asks you is, 'Oh, have you done a marathon?' I kept saying no and was tired of saying no. I was just gonna get this out of the way." Reed finished his first marathon in 2:47 — a 6:20 mile pace. That was good enough to qualify for next year's Boston Marathon. "Maybe Boston and never again," he said about running marathons. In late May, Reed competed in the Memorial Tournament 4-mile run at Muirfield Village in Dublin. Three days later he won the Kelleys Island 10K. Then came the Ironman win. Reed has participated in all five Ironmans in Sandusky. He did the complete triathlon in 2022, finishing in a little more than five hours. A year later he teamed up with Kim Wikel and John Stauffer to finish first out of 59 relay teams. Then came slower times in 2024 and 2025. He said running year-round in college took a toll on his body. After winning the Ironman relay in 2023, he didn't compete as a senior at Heidelberg University. "I was getting beat up, injured," he said. "We were doing 80-mile weeks and my body wasn't able to keep up and sustain that. You want to keep getting quicker, but when you see some regression it kinda hits you a little more. "Then I was having some anxiety because I was living on my own. I was having internships and living in Columbus that summer. A lot of new things were happening and I couldn't do running anymore. I actually played golf at Heidelberg my senior year, and I use the term 'play' lightly because I was just on the team. But it was still a great time." Reed was hired by SMCC as a teacher and assistant cross country coach in 2024. He said that provided some inspiration to get back in shape. "I needed to be there for the kids and run with them," he said. "I started to get back into shape. Coaching is what got me back into it a little bit." He got serious about returning to top form last fall when he joined Zeke Johnson's Keep Going Run Club. "I started showing up every Tuesday," Reed said. "I met a bunch of people I had never met before. I started running with them. When I got out of cross country, I thought I needed to be the best runner. The goal was to always to be quick and fast. When I took that year off it really changed everything. "Matt (Bunn, an SMCC grad) and Zeke run like 50 miles. I was like, 'Dude, you are actually insane.' They didn't do it for the pace; they liked to put themselves in hard situations. You can't race 50 miles, but you can do a 50-miler. It was changing my perspective." Reed doesn't run as much now, but he runs smarter. "I prioritize recovery more," he said. "My wife (Emma) and I go to Tim Dorsey Fitness and we do mobility classes and a lot more stretching and recovery. I kind of fine-tuned my training." Reed also credits reconnecting with his faith and working at SMCC for giving him a boost. "When you're a student there, you don't realize how good you have it," Reed said. "But when you work there you do realize it. Being there the last two years have helped me grow. Just trying to be a role model. Being a teacher, I can't go out and be a clown. "I try to lead by example for my kids and students. It's good that I'm in shape. Getting into my faith more was huge. I love it there. I work there. I grew up there."