WOODSTOCK — Apparently, the same things that would make a guy jump out of a plane or attempt an overtime bicycle kick in a championship setting — despite his coach’s admonitions to not try one — also will motivate the same guy to run a marathon with minimal preparation.
Inspired by friends training for the Boston Marathon and seeking a way to help near home during the coronavirus pandemic, Alex Crompton recently went on a very long run.
Starting at the Sherburne Memorial Library, the 2016 Woodstock High graduate and Babson College senior trekked 26.2 miles to the Quechee Covered Bridge in a fundraiser for two Killington, Vt.-area charities engaged in relief efforts.
A Killington resident and Babson men’s soccer forward, Crompton completed the marathon April 18. He’d come up with the idea all of six days before he completed it.
“It was just me running; I wanted to do more toward local causes that would make an impact related to (the COVID-19 outbreak),” Crompton said in a phone chat earlier this week. “I made some calls around the community and related it to people struggling through this pandemic, going off that theme. I wasn’t only creating entertainment for people to galvanize behind, but also to make a difference for people struggling with corona.”
Crompton set a $1,000 goal. A GoFundMe campaign tied to the marathon — which he titled “Covid 26.2 A Run for Relief” — ultimately raised more than $2,800 to be split between the Killington Food Shelf at the Little White Church and the Killington Relief Fund.
“That’s part of the culture of a team but also where he’s from; he helps out, that’s what you do,” Babson coach Jon Anderson said. “It’s what made him a great team member.”
Crompton followed as flat a route as a Vermonter can find, using U.S. Route 4 as his main artery. With brother Will, sister Taylor and friend Trevor Van Neil as a chase team, Crompton detoured to pass Billings Farm and Museum and traverse Woodstock’s River Road before returning to Route 4 and his Quechee finish.
Although fit for soccer, Crompton had never done a long, nonstop run beyond two preparatory 5-milers prior to the marathon. He completed the latter in 4 hours, 43 minutes without stopping.
“I knew it was going to be tough, but around mile 20 or 21, you’ve really got to push through it,” he said. “It’s a lot more mental than physical to finish.”
Crompton has a history of pushing through things. He did his first skydive in Maine last summer on a day off from a camp job.
“It’s the biggest rush you can ever experience,” he recalled.
He also capped his college soccer career with an audacious bicycle-kick goal in the waning seconds of overtime in a 1-0 win over WPI that gave Babson the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament on Nov. 9. Crompton — who netted a team-high 18 goals as a Woodstock senior in 2015 — recorded 22 goals and 15 assists in 75 career matches for the Beavers.
“He has a great attitude of intensity and competitiveness but, along with that, he’s a guy that can be loose and enjoy life,” Anderson said. “It’s the perfect combination.”
Crompton might try another marathon someday, but not anytime soon.
“In the near future, I don’t see it because of how recent that pain is in my mind,” Crompton admitted, “but now I’ve checked that box off.”
Greg Fennell can be reached at gfennell@vnews.com or 603-727-3226.