26 Aug 103 Marathons

Submitted by Ron Watterly, pastor of McCallum UB church, Delon, Mich.

Jerry Johncock recently completed his 103rd marathon. That’s normally not a newsworthy item. Did I mention that Jerry is 80 years old? He not only completed the race, he set a new national record for runners in his age group, four hours, 11 minutes, 51 seconds.

Johncock is a member of McCallum UB church in Delton, Mich. He took up running at age 50 as a way to bond with his five sons, and has been at it ever since. He competes in several races annually. Racing is sort of in the Johncock blood. A cousin is Gordon Johncock, winner of the 1973 Indy 500.

Jerry was raised in the McCallum church. After high school, he attended Huntington College with the intention of becoming a teacher. His education was cut short by a stint in the Navy. After the Navy, he married Dorlene Ramie.

Through the years, Jerry served as a traveling evangelist, missionary to Mexico, and pastor of the Otsego, Mich., UB church. He never made it back to Huntington, but did complete vocational training at Michigan Career and Technical Institute and worked as a television repairman.

Of the five sons, Mark, the youngest, graduated from Huntington University and is employed at the Michindoh Camp and Conference Center (Hillsdale, Mich.). Jim, next to the oldest, is chairman of the administrative board at McCallum. Besides raising their own children, the Johncocks provided a home for numerous foster children over the years.