From Overweight To States: Matt Marron Finds Success on the Track

Sometimes the path to success doesn't take so quite a direct path. 

In the case of Avon Lake standout distance runner Matt Marron, that couldn't be closer to the truth. Like most youths in Avon Lake, Marron wanted to play football and be a part of that great Shoremen tradition.

From fifth to ninth grade he was living that dream, donning the pads as a football center. Marron though, had a vision. While he liked the camaraderie of the team sport, he wasn't happy with himself.

At 210 pounds in the eighth grade, he didn't like where he was heading. So at that young age he made a choice to tackle a problem many face later in life.

"One day I decided that I was sick of being a lineman, and sick of looking at myself in the mirror and thinking that I was at a healthy weight," Marron said. "So I was motivated to get rid of it. To everyone, I was always just a larger kid, and I wanted to prove to everyone that I could do that and lose the weight, because you get made fun of by some people."

There were doubters, especially after Marron went out for the track team in eighth grade and quit because he was out of shape. They told him he could never go through with it.

"I remember going out for track in eighth grade for () coach Rob Rocco, who was the eighth-grade coach then," Marron said. "And I remember I couldn't even finish two warm up laps, and quit track."

Marron didn't run his freshman year either, but stuck with his routine and to his diet. By his sophomore year, he was done with football, had a chip on his shoulder courtesy of the doubters. He was especially motivated by one former football teammate who told him he couldn't have success as a runner.

"He told me I would never break five minutes in the mile," Marron said. "But my first race I went against Matt Link and Mike Parsons and I led the first two laps because I went out stupid, and finished with a 5:14 in my first mile ever. Two weeks later I ran a 4:55 and kept going and going from there. So yes, I thrive off the doubters and have that chip on my shoulder."

Marron also had some other inspiration: his brother Michael. An accomplished distance runner today, who runs 50-mile races, Michael Marron was also a lineman before going out for track.

"He too was a lineman, lost a lot of weight, maybe 40 or 50 pounds, and when I saw he could get through it, I knew I could," Matt Marron said. "He's always someone who has had an impact on me, and I looked up to him since I was little, and my mom also played a big role, she was at everyone of my meets and would do anything for me."

Today, the 6-foot Marron weighs in at 155 pounds, a weight he runs well at.

This season was chock full of personal bests for Marron. It started with cross-country, where he ran a 16:26.80 at the OHSAAtate cross-country championships and moved to his 4:27.30 best in the 1600m which garnered him fourth at the SWC meet. He also ran a 1:58 split in the 3200 meter relay at the .

He is also part of two school-record relay teams: The 6400-meter relay Marron (4:31.8), Justin Housley (4:35.4), Francesco Maiorca (4:30.8) and Trevor Norris (4:41.0) that set a school record and meet record at the  (18:18.24) and the distance medley, (Housley, Pete Lancione,  Marron and Maiorca) that ran a time of 10:44.23.

"Francesco, Conner, Mike (Parsons) Trevor (Norris) and Justin Housley are like my brothers," Marron said. "When you train with those guys in cross country and track, I'm going to really miss them. It's going to be weird not having them next year."

Marron, who is nicknamed “the Butterman” by him teammates, attributes his success to the miles he logged last summer and also the 800 leg he ran at Regionals last year, to helping his 3200 relay team advance to state.

"I was hitting 70 miles a week and it hit me that I could be running with all these guys," Marron said. "But I will never forget Regionals in the 3200 meter relay when I passed 13 guys and we got to state by seven points; that's when I knew I could be legit, and it gave me the confidence."

Marron will be taking his talents to the University of  Mt. Union this fall, where he will be on scholarship for both track and cross country.

Editor's Note: This is a series about athletes who had a high level of performance this spring at Avon Lake. The next in the series in track and field standout Morgan Srail and her medal winning performance at states.