Maybe it’s out of competitive spirit, or perhaps it’s the culmination of a new year’s resolution. Whatever the “why,” the 30-year-old tradition has brought a city together over shared experiences and healthier habits.

For Josh Stuart, the owner of the Northern Utah outdoor clothing manufacturer Ogden Made, as well a turf and home landscaping company serving the region, the marathon is a new step on a lifelong journey for his 7-year-old son.

On Saturday, Stuart and his son, Beck, born and diagnosed with Down syndrome in 2018, will complete their first marathon together.

“I still don’t know if it’s possible,” Josh Stuart said.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

“We’re kind of going into uncharted territory the morning of the marathon. … I’ve always had the desire to run the Ogden Marathon. I’m very much a hometown guy, and love Ogden, everything about it. It’s kind of always just on the bucket list. … It kind of felt like this was the moment to give it a go.”

The 26-mile race begins roughly 8 miles east of Huntsville, carries through the Ogden Canyon and finishes downtown at 25th Street and Grant Avenue. Saturday also marks Beck’s eighth birthday, and that’s only a bonus as to why Stuart picked such an occasion to compete in his first-ever marathon.

Before Beck was born, Josh participated in multiple unified events on behalf of other folks living with special needs. Those experiences haven’t only prepared Josh for Saturday’s challenge, but it’s been the thesis behind his family’s mission to give their son as many opportunities as they can.

Running in their hometown marathon is the latest.

“It just gave running a little bigger purpose,” Stuart said. “I think it stuck with me. That was before Beck was born, so when I had Beck, and we’d found out he had Down syndrome, I’ve always been thinking of different ways to kind of give him the experience he’ll otherwise not fully be able to have on his own. And I’m always up for a good, physical challenge.”

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

An outdoorsman by nature, Josh said the marathon coincided with the fifth anniversary of his annual “Beck Tee” promotion, where a limited edition, Beck-themed T-shirt is marketed through Ogden Made to support not just Beck, but World Down Syndrome Day (March 21) and others living with the genetic condition.

Aiming for a bigger cause with this year’s tee, Stuart reached out to the marathon’s organizers, the GOAL Foundation, about competing alongside Beck and how that might work given their circumstances.

GOAL, in collaboration with Ainsley’s Angels of America, a nonprofit serving communities with special needs, provided Stuart with a mobility scooter for Beck that meets all race requirements.

“It begins to normalize that anyone and everyone should go out and achieve whatever they want to accomplish,” Alex Docta, director of operations for the GOAL Foundation, said. “With the Ogden Marathon, we do our best to accommodate situations and lifestyles that people have.”

Josh and Beck are competing in the duos category, formerly known as the “assisted push,” which enables one runner to compete alongside another whose lifestyle requires the companionship of another competitor to complete the race. The category is available for the 26, 13 and 3-mile races.

The visual of competing and finishing the behemoth of the course is part of the mission this weekend.

“I hope that it inspires someone else to do something that’s hard,” Stuart said. “Whether it’s for themselves or whether that’s for somebody else, sometimes, and oftentimes, doing hard things allows us to get outside the comfort zone and experience something that not only will give us like a lasting memory, but really to give ourselves a boost and in positivity and the way we think about ourselves.”

The Stuarts have intensified their training in the last couple of months, with longer runs and courses designed to test their limits ahead of Saturday’s race.

Josh often finds himself running unpaved trails, unlike the paved roads used for the marathon. The Ogden Marathon course includes an elevation decline of roughly 1,000 feet, according to the official course map.

They’re in this thing, but it’ll take both their spirits to gut it out and power through to the finish, Josh said.

“It’s going to be a challenge to make sure that both of us are essentially moving down the road and doing the things we need to make sure that we’re both going to be able to finish the race,” Stuart said. “We’re really close to figuring it out, and I do believe by race day we’ll be able to put ourselves in a position to get across the finish line.”

The Marathon-themed “Beck Tee” is available for $27 at ogdenmade.com. Shirts are also available at the downtown Wildcat Store location on Washington Boulevard.

Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net, X @ctbecker and Instagram @standardexaminersports.