Alum goes the distance for school lunches
Staff writer
Adam Jones celebrated his 39th birthday last week in an unconventional way — competing in a triathlon of his own creation, which saw him swim, bike, and run from Newton to his hometown of Peabody.
Jones began by swimming 3.9 kilometers at the Newton YMCA. He then biked 39 miles from Newton to Peabody-Burns High School before running 3.9 kilometers around Peabody, ending at the elementary school. The triathlon took 4 hours 45 minutes.
Using schools as starting and ending points of the run was no accident. Jones ran the triathlon to raise money to help eliminate school lunch debt in the Peabody-Burns school system.
He came up with the idea of a fundraiser for Peabody a few months back while moving from Atlanta back to Kansas.
Jones said he wanted to give back to the Peabody-Burns school system and to residents who helped raise him and his siblings.
“We were sons and daughters of the community,” he said. “We always had people watching out for us.”
Duane Jones, in town to cheer on his younger brother, was similarly grateful toward Peabody.
“Peabody’s an amazing town,” he said. “It’s a bunch of good old boys trying to do the correct things, trying to do the right things for the right reason.”
After meeting with the principal and superintendent at Peabody-Burns, Jones decided to try to raise money to help eliminate student lunch debt.
“That was something that affected me and my family when we were growing up, so it definitely hit home,” he said. “It was something I wanted to tackle right away.”
He initially wanted to run 39 miles — a marathon plus a half-marathon for good measure — but after pulling a calf muscle while training, he switched to the triathlon.
Jones was a competitive swimmer growing up and enjoyed taking to the pool to practice.
“I’m glad that I ended up doing the triathlon rather than the run,” Jones said. “I forgot how much I love swimming. Butterfly was always my favorite stroke. I hadn’t done that in probably 20 years.”
The community was rapturous when Jones announced the triathlon.
“Everyone was incredibly supportive — the encouragement, the support, the love shown,” he said. “The excitement was also something that was unexpected.”
He raised $8,000 from 82 donations and got dozens of calls from friends, relatives, and Peabody residents wishing him luck.
During the event, people gathered along the sides of county roads to cheer him on as he biked through the plains. In town, Peabody residents waved from their lawns.
High school students — out for a community service day — beckoned him forward at his alma mater. During his final few blocks, elementary school kids gathered on the side of the road, waving “Go Adam!” and “You’re our hero!” signs.
“It was the ultimate culmination of everything,” Jones said.
After the race, Jones embraced his brother and greeted the elementary students, who proudly showed him their signs.
“This is the best birthday present ever,” he said.
“Wait, today’s your birthday?” one boy replied.
The kids got together to sing “Happy Birthday.”
Jones then went for a bite at Pop’s Diner with his brother and enjoyed a well-deserved shower and nap.
He said community events like the triathlon were part of the reason he moved back to Kansas.
“I wanted a slower pace of life and do things that are more meaningful to me,” he said. “It’s good for the heart.”