El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2021: Jim Weddell

EL PASO, Texas - Jim Weddell's love for running truly does run deep.

A native of San Diego, California, Weddell ran cross country in high school, but his interest in marathon running didn't really take off until later in life.

"I consider myself an average runner," Weddell said. "What I mean by average is just like any other person can do it."

Weddell was 42 years old when he became concerned for his health while playing basketball with his son.

"I had my hands on my knees and I was just out of breath," Weddell said. "I was like 'oh, this is getting to be a bit of a problem'."

The solution to that problem, running, a lot of running.

But simply lacing up the shoes and going outside for a run wasn't a enough.

Weddell wanted to keep pushing himself, so he decided to run a marathon.

He then set a goal of running a sub-4-hour marathon, and at age 42, he finished his first marathon, the San Diego Marathon with a time 3:46.

Marathon running then became an addiction for Weddell as he kept trying to better his time.

To this date, Weddell has a run in a total of 72 marathons.

"I think the neat thing about running is there's always a way to improve," Weddell said. "Everything is relative especially with running, so if you get third place, you can try and get second, and if you get second you can try and get first."

Weddell has qualified for the Boston Marathon 49 times and New York Marathon 22 times, more than any El Pasoan.

He has run sub-3-hour marathons (2:59:57 in Houston 2012 and 2:59:06 in Boston 2013), a challenge for any runner, and a rarity for a runner over 50.

His support for running also includes years as a member of the board for the El Paso Marathon.

"El Paso does really well in track and field and having the marathon here is just one more way to emphasize that," Weddell said.

Weddell continues to push the envelope.

He's run one 100 mile race, eight trail ultramarathons, six full Ironman triathlons, and six half Ironman triathlons.

Weddell was invited twice to Ironman 70.3-mile World Championships.

On August 25, Weddell will be inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2021.

A truly deserving honor for an athlete with a passion and love for running.

"I know a lot of people who are very good athletes and I feel like 'wow' to be in that company especially with the ones that are already in the hall of fame, it's humbling to be considered among them," Weddell said.

ABC-7 will be livestreaming the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony at kvia.com