Jerod Broadbooks
Wildwood, MOEureka High School
Lindenwood University
While Sisson, West, and Herriott are three Show-Me State All-Time Greats, Jerod Broadbooks has beat long odds to qualify for Trials, one of just 185 men to do so. Broadbooks lowered his 800 meters personal best to 1:59.17 as a junior at Eureka High School. After placing 92 at the 2013 Class 4 State cross country championships at Oak Hills in 17:16, Broadbooks improved to 35th as a senior in 2014. He finished in 16:38 and lowered his high school PR in the 1600 to 4:33, while only racing in three open events as a senior on the track in 2015.
Broadbooks made the short trip to St. Charles for college, running at Lindenwood University.
He made big strides for the Lions. Broadbooks qualified for the 2019 NCAA Division II national championships. He qualified for the final by running a 1.6-second PR of 4:09.94 to place 5th in the Mile prelims and qualify for the final. He finished the final in 4: 13.96, taking 8th in the 9-man race to earn 1st Team All-America honors.
After the Covid-19 pandemic, Broadbooks had basically been done with running. He finishing with PRs of 1:54.75 for the 800, 3:53 for 1500 meters, 4:09.94 for the mile, and 14:43 for 5,000 meters. Broadbooks 10-month break from running. He got into weight lifting and got his bench press max up to 300 lbs. He got into teaching and coach and back into running. He is now the Francis Howell head cross country coach. He teaches music and is the band director at one of the Francis Howell middle schools.
He'd run 1:08 for a half marathon in 2021 but got more serious about training in 2022. Broadbooks made the trip West in December 2023 for the fast California International Marathon in Sacramento. Broadbooks finished in 7th in a jaw-dropping 2:14.59. Broadbooks lists running 2:14 and qualifying for the Olympic Trials as his favorite running memory. He lists a quote from marathon running legend Eliud Kipchoge as his favorite motivational quote. It goes "Remember, only the disciplined ones are free in life. If you are undisciplined, you are a slave to your moods. You are a slave to your passions."