When she is not in the classroom teaching English at Copper Hills High School, you will likely find Kim Cowart doing something else she has grown to love.
On this episode of the Supercast, find out how running has taken this amazing teacher to competitions all over the world, and in the process transformed her life.
Audio Transcription
Kim Cowart:
So I just finished the sixth marathon of the six major marathons.
Anthony Godfrey:
You say you're going to run one marathon to say that you did. And then you can't stop and you have to keep running them because it feels so great.
Kim Cowart:
I've done 60 marathons. It took me 15 years but I just finished that sixth marathon in Tokyo. And I got my medal.
Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. When she's not in the classroom teaching English at Copper Hills High School, you will likely find Kim Cowart doing something else she has grown to love.
On this episode of the Supercast, find out how running has taken this amazing teacher to competitions all over the world and in the process transformed her life. Listen as Kim Cowart shares her incredible story.
[Music]We're here on the bridge at Daybreak to talk with Kim Cowart, Language Arts teacher at Copper Hills High School and runner extraordinaire. I know you won't like that title but I know you're a big runner. And this is your natural habitat. This is where you love to run.
Kim Cowart:
This is my home. I actually wrote an article about this place for Runner's World Magazine. How much I love it. I love it that much. I wrote a story about it.
Anthony Godfrey:
Really? So since we're here, this is gorgeous.
Kim Cowart:
Yeah, it is.
Anthony Godfrey:
The houses are beautiful. I mean this is planned to look gorgeous and they did a great job of it. Tell me about the Runner's World article and what you love so much about this place.
Kim Cowart:
So I've written a couple articles for them. My first one was about my race shirts and how they tell a story. The second one was about all of the international races I've done. I've traveled all over the world and run pretty much everywhere.
But this is the place I like to come home to. Like I know the path. I know every nook and cranny. Every curve. Every dip. Every hill. They've even laid some more paths. It's safe so I can run 20 miles. And there are bathrooms. There's water fountains. There's people. It's just beautiful. It's safe. It's… I don't know. I never get tired of it. I run here almost every single day.
Anthony Godfrey:
Let's talk a little bit about your accomplishments. What are your most recent big events?
Kim Cowart:
So I just finished the sixth marathon of the six major marathons. Runners know what this is but non-runners probably don't. There are six major marathons around the world and that's where the elites go to compete. That's where the prize money is. It’s New York, Chicago, Boston, Berlin, London and Tokyo. Recreational runners, if you finish those six you get a special six-star medal. It's a huge deal because they're really hard to get into. Boston you have to qualify. London, I think only like 2% of runners get accepted in. So anyway, it took me 15 years but I just finished that sixth marathon in Tokyo.
Anthony Godfrey:
That’s amazing.
Kim Cowart:
And I got my medal and I was... I'm done.
Anthony Godfrey:
When was that?
Kim Cowart:
That was in March.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about how those six majors compare. I mean London, are you running on the wrong side of the road?
Kim Cowart:
Probably but not on purpose. I mean every one is different and unique. Berlin was awesome. I went with two friends. One of them was from Germany and her husband met her there while he was stationed during the Cold War. So I got to take a little tour of Berlin through their perspective and get their historical stories.
But then you're running, literally crossing over from East and West Germany. Whereas years ago people would have been killed to do that. I'm just running back and forth and I got chills. The day before the marathon–
Anthony Godfrey:
The symbolism of that is pretty amazing.
Kim Cowart:
It was not lost on any of us. And then we finished through the Brandenburg Gate. I mean people were crying. The day before there's like a 5k shake-out run, but it finished at the Olympic Stadium where Jesse Owens won. He was running track and field in front of Hitler. I mean that stuff–
Anthony Godfrey:
That’s unforgettable
Kim Cowart:
It is unforgettable. And then Boston, I was there in 2013 when the bombs went off.
Anthony Godfrey:
Really?
Kim Cowart:
Yeah, my hotel was on that street. I think that terrorist attacks happen out there somewhere to other people. It happened right in front of me. So I was in my hotel on Boylston Street. I had finished but I had friends that didn't. I had friends that were watching finishers at that time. The first bomb exploded where my kids had stood just a couple years earlier watching me finish. So it was all too close. So that was a horrible, horrible year. It was supposed to be my last. So I went back in 2014 because nobody wants to finish–
Anthony Godfrey:
So you ran Boston again to make sure that was not your last experience in Boston.
Kim Cowart:
I ran Boston again. And as awful as 2013 was, 2014 was the best running day of my entire life. Hands down.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's such a great idea to go back so that you don't have that as your last memory.
Kim Cowart:
It was really hard. I didn't expect it to be that hard.
Anthony Godfrey:
And Tokyo, tell me about Tokyo.
Kim Cowart:
Tokyo, I mean I love Japan. It's my second trip there. I won't pretend that I enjoyed it because it's the first race I've ever done while working a full-time job, teaching full-time. I've never trained for a marathon and taught full-time. So it was really hard to just get up, run, teach, home.
Anthony Godfrey:
And you had to take time off like during the year.
Kim Cowart:
I had to take a few days off.
Anthony Godfrey:
Have it fit in with everything else.
Kim Cowart:
That was really hard to leave my students. My principal, Ray Garrison, was so supportive. I came to her at the beginning of there and said, "Look, I got into this race. I have to do it. I can't put this off."
And she's like, "Go, have a great time."
Anthony Godfrey:
Good. That's awesome.
Kim Cowart:
“You don't need my permission. Just have a great time.”
Anthony Godfrey:
How does it feel having conquered all six now? You're done.
Kim Cowart:
So good. It's the best feeling in the world. I'm done. I didn't quit. I mean, it took me 15 years, but I did it.
Anthony Godfrey:
Now, the cliche is that you say you're going to run one marathon to say that you did.
Kim Cowart:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
And then you can't stop and you have to keep running them because it feels so great. Was that your experience?
Kim Cowart:
I've done 60 marathons.
Anthony Godfrey:
60?
Kim Cowart:
Yeah. I feel like that's a good number.
Anthony Godfrey:
I guess you can call yourself a marathoner.
Kim Cowart:
I know people who've done a lot more.
Anthony Godfrey:
There's always someone who’s done more.
Kim Cowart:
There’s always people who have done more. I feel like 60 is nice.
Anthony Godfrey:
It's a nice round number.
Kim Cowart:
Someone's like, "Why not go for a hundred?" I'm like, "That's 40 more marathons."
Anthony Godfrey:
Why not go for a hundred?
Kim Cowart:
I'll be a hundred if we do that. No. I feel like that's a good accomplishment. Yeah. My first race was a marathon.
Anthony Godfrey:
Your first race?
Kim Cowart:
My first race. I was looking... I'd done a 10 miler. I'd started running because I had kids and I wasn't… I was a teacher in Las Vegas for six years. I quit when I started having my kids. I have two daughters. But I never felt whole. I've always wanted to be a teacher. So, I was kind of just trying to find my thing. When postpartum hit, I started running just to get outside and be alone. And one thing led to another. Next thing you know, I'm doing 10-mile runs around my neighborhood. So, I went online to sign up for the half marathon and I looked at the price. It was only like $10 cheaper than the marathon. I always like a good deal.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's how they get you.
Kim Cowart:
I know.
Anthony Godfrey:
You know, the medium-sized popcorn is $9 but the large is only $10.
Kim Cowart:
You can run 26 miles if you just pay 10 more dollars. Like that is a deal.
Anthony Godfrey:
Exactly.
Kim Cowart:
And so I signed up for it.
Anthony Godfrey:
So, you supersized your marathon.
Kim Cowart:
I supersized. I don't recommend it. It was dumb. But I did it. I did it. And I qualified for Boston that first race.
Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Now wait a minute. Your very first race, you were going to do a half. You did a full. And you qualified for Boston?
Kim Cowart:
I did. By like 45 seconds. Yeah, I did.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh my heavens. I looked up those times.
Kim Cowart:
I know. I was just as shocked.
Anthony Godfrey:
I ran the Leprechaun Lope three times and thought I was an international athlete because I completed it. I would pick off people with a stroller and try to beat them.
Kim Cowart:
That's how you do it.
Anthony Godfrey:
But they would beat me. It didn't work. I ran faster because I was trying to beat them but I couldn't make it.
Kim Cowart:
That's funny.
Anthony Godfrey:
But you qualified for Boston your first race.
Kim Cowart:
Well, I didn't even really know what that was.
Anthony Godfrey:
That must have told you though that I've got some natural proclivity for running some natural talent.
Kim Cowart:
See, I never knew that because growing up I was told that I was not athletic because I wasn't coordinated. I can't catch a ball. I can't hit a ball. I can't kick a ball. So I always just thought I'm not athletic. So I never tried.
Anthony Godfrey:
60 marathons later, do you feel athletic?
Kim Cowart:
I feel like I want to go back to my high school gym teacher and say, I told you I could. You just need to give me my time to do it on my terms.
Anthony Godfrey:
So as a teacher then, what does that make you think about when you have this opportunity to teach students about themselves?
Kim Cowart:
That you can be what you want to be. You don't have to listen to what other people think you are. You can do what you want to do. I was in my mid-30s. I think I was 33 when I finished my first marathon. So you have your whole life. You think that you have to decide by the time you graduate from high school what you're going to do and the exact path you're going to walk. And that's just not true. My life is nothing like I expected it to be. And marathons were the biggest surprise. But you have to try it. You don't know if you're good at it unless you try it.
Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back more with Kim Cowart and the chance to hear some of her advice for students.
Never miss an episode of The Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.
[music]Break:
Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District, and we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here, every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @jordandistrict. We can't wait to connect.
Anthony Godfrey:
I love how this has shaped the way that you view yourself in every way.
Kim Cowart:
Yeah. Well, I will tell you, so I took 20 years off of teaching. Last year was my first year back after 20 years. All of that running that I did before made me believe that I could actually do this. There are different types of challenges, but I'd say coming back to teaching is as challenging, if not more so than running marathons.
Anthony Godfrey:
And how does it feel now that you're looking at year two? You've got year one behind you?
Kim Cowart:
I mean, I feel like I'm brand new. I feel like I'm starting all over again this year. I am so lucky to be where I am with the other teachers that I work with and the students that I get to talk to every day. I'm so happy where I am as hard as it is. And there are days I come home crying. But it's as fulfilling, if not more so than running those marathons.
Anthony Godfrey:
It's hard when you pour yourself into a job. There are tough days when you pour yourself into a job like you do.
Kim Cowart:
Yeah. And there are tough training runs and there are races that don't work out the way you expect them to. But you just sign up for the next one.
Anthony Godfrey:
How many miles do you run in the morning out here?
Kim Cowart:
It depends. Most of the time before school, I'm getting a little slower, so between 10 and 12 miles most days, sometimes it's seven or eight, but usually about 10-ish.
Anthony Godfrey:
And is there any other place that you train or run? Or is it always here?
Kim Cowart:
Not anymore. When I was training for more marathons, I used to do like eight or nine marathons a year, I would run with groups. I would travel and we'd go to Immigration Canyon and up Legacy Parkway and Jordan River Parkway.
Anthony Godfrey:
This is where you come back to?
Kim Cowart:
This is where I come back to. I'd rather run here. I know exactly how many miles and how to add miles, how to take shortcuts.
Anthony Godfrey:
So you know how long every segment is?
Kim Cowart:
I do.
Anthony Godfrey:
And do you run through the neighborhoods like this?
Kim Cowart:
Sometimes. Like this island here, the whole circumference of the inner island is 1.2 miles. So if I need to add a little extra...
Anthony Godfrey:
As I looked at it, it felt like about 1.2.
Kim Cowart:
I know it. It's 1.2 and then the big loop around is 3.2. But then you can go up to the other side of Daybreak, on the other side of Mountain View and they've got new trails up there.
Anthony Godfrey:
Once again, I feel like I've driven from school to school, from event to event, and haven't really paused to take a look. And that's one of the beautiful things about running.
Kim Cowart:
That's why I like running.
Anthony Godfrey:
Is that you're right there, you're ground level and you have a chance to really absorb your surroundings.
Kim Cowart:
When I travel, I always try to get outside that first day and run to reset my time clock but also to get to know the layout. Because you can't do that when you're driving. But when you're running, it's embedded. The route is embedded in your mind. You really get to know your surroundings better. And you see things you can't get to by car too.
Anthony Godfrey:
So the walking community that they set out to create has become the running community for you.
Kim Cowart:
There's tons of running. You can come out here at 4 in the morning, which I do on school days. And I will see at least 4 or 5 people out here running.
Anthony Godfrey:
If I'm up at 4 in the morning, I bust open my email to see if I can get a jump on the day.
Kim Cowart:
No, no, no, no.
Anthony Godfrey:
You are out here. You are making it happen.
Kim Cowart:
If I want to get my runs in, I have to do it before school.
Anthony Godfrey:
So bathrooms, drinking fountains. But what else is it about this area that you love so much when you come out to run?
Kim Cowart:
I mean, it's peaceful. You can look at the water.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. It’s beautiful.
Kim Cowart:
I mean, you've got geese and I don't know, just the sound of the water before school starts calms me down. So by the time I get to my classroom, I just feel okay. I feel mentally prepared for the day because I've been out here, I've been out in nature. And it's only a mile away from my house.
Anthony Godfrey:
So do you run here?
Kim Cowart:
Mm-hmm.
Anthony Godfrey:
And then, I mean, if you look up, the view of those mountains...
Kim Cowart:
Isn't it gorgeous?
Anthony Godfrey:
...is gorgeous. And the way it changes throughout the day, I don't think we can look at the mountains enough.
I can't help but notice your tattoo on your forearm here and knowing U2, I see that's a Bono autograph. Is that correct?
Kim Cowart:
It is. It is his autograph.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about Bono signing your arm and it subsequently becoming a tattoo.
Kim Cowart:
So my husband and I have been following U2 since we've been married for almost 25 years. We have... In fact, we met because we love U2. He told me he quit his job in high school to go see them on tour. I'm like, we are bound to be together.
Anthony Godfrey:
It wasn't confusing when you said, "I love U2." And he said, "I love you too."
Kim Cowart:
Yeah, yeah. We went back and forth like that.
Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Alright.
Kim Cowart:
So yeah, we've been following them around the world. We've been trying to meet Bono. We've met all the other band members. But Bono just never was able to come out. And then last summer... Well, it was actually last spring. We flew out to New York to see Bono in his one-man Broadway show. He had just had a book come out. And...
Anthony Godfrey:
It's a great book, by the way. I love it.
Kim Cowart:
It's a fabulous book. And the audio version is incredible.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's what I did. I listened to the audio version while walking, not running.
Kim Cowart:
He is an artist. Yeah. He is a poet, a writer. He's incredible. So, we went to a show and as always, we went outside that afternoon to try to meet him outside the venue. And finally, it happened. He came out and he signed autographs. He signed my book. He signed one of our album covers. He talked to us a little bit. I think I was a little too starstruck. I might have just said, "Thank you." And so, he signed my book and then I had him tattooed on my arm.
But that was the same morning that I interviewed via Zoom for my job at Copper Hills with Rich and Heather, the two that hired me. So, it was a really good day. I got hired and I got Bono's tattoo. Or Bono's autograph.
Anthony Godfrey:
That’s fantastic. Wow. That's amazing.
Kim Cowart:
Yeah. It was a wonderful day.
Anthony Godfrey:
I understand that later today you're going to be talking with the Copper Hills cross-country teams.
Kim Cowart:
Yeah. Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
What message do you plan to share today?
Kim Cowart:
Trust yourself. Believe the positive things people say about you. Your successes are not always the success you have planned. Like, success comes in different forms and it rarely comes in the form that you think it's going to come in. So, I'm going to tell them a few stories from my own running past.
Anthony Godfrey:
What do you love most about teaching now that you've been away from it and now that you're back? What do you love the most about it?
Kim Cowart:
I love being around the students. I love this age group. I teach mostly juniors, but I've taught sophomores too. I like that age. They're the same age as my own daughters right now. My youngest daughter is a senior at Herriman High School. I just like being around them. I like feeling like maybe there are a few students that come out of my classroom, better writers. Maybe. I hope.
I love interacting with my colleagues. It's nice to be back with my teacher friends again and having that in common. I feel like I'm part of a community again, which running, you're in a community, but you're also doing that solo. And I've missed that piece of my teacher self too. So, it's nice to be back.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, we're really glad to have you back.
Kim Cowart:
Thank you.
Anthony Godfrey:
And I'm glad for all these lessons that you're able to share with students to help them believe in themselves.
Kim Cowart:
Thanks.
Anthony Godfrey:
And, you know, you've inspired me to at least get outside in the morning a little bit.
Kim Cowart:
Yeah, go for a walk.
Anthony Godfrey:
I can't promise 60 marathons, but I'm going to move a little bit more than I have. And the morning routine is really inspiring.
Kim Cowart:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
The way that you've come through so many difficulties and just keep moving, it's really thrilling to talk with you about it.
Kim Cowart:
And walk around Daybreak. There's a million people out here in the morning.
Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there.