Community All-Stars: Father-daughter duo from Menan headed to the Boston Marathon

MENAN, Idaho (KIFI) – Runners around the world are lacing up their shoes, preparing for the 129th annual Boston Marathon. Among the 30,000 athletes is father-daughter duo Rand Watson and Jessi Murdock.

This is quite a special experience for the two, as they have both learned to love running, especially as a family.

Watson actually crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon once before in 2016. He says, "It's not like any other marathon I've run... And I'm thrilled to experience that with my daughter, Jessi."

Their love for running started years ago with a simple treadmill, first sought after by Watson's wife. "I was thinking, 'Eventually it's going to end up being a clothes hanger.' But we started using it, and challenging each other and started walking, got on incline, then started running."

Murdock noticed the rivalry between them and decided it was time to let her competitive side out, eventually making running a family affair. "Running races just kind of became like became the thing that we could do together," she says.

Over the years, the family has participated in races in Idaho, California, Colorado and beyond.

For them, running is not just about endurance and staying healthy – it's about connection and joy. "Once you get into it and your mind kind of conquers your body," Murdock says and, "It actually starts to be kind of fun."

Watson and Murdock, East Idaho is cheering you on as our Community All-Stars.