From BUCS to Business | Jared Ward
Jared at the British Universities and Colleges Sport Cross-Country (BUCS XC)
Starting his next chapter after a career in running, Olympic athlete Jared Ward (2024 EMBA) discusses coming to study at Oxford and his recent successes in University cross-country competitions.
What are you studying here at Oxford/Keble, and how have you been finding it?
I'm studying business at the Saïd business school. My spouse Erica and our six children came out for Year 1 and we have been loving our time. We're enjoying the quintessential town of Oxford and travelling in the UK and other countries in Europe.
What led you to apply for an EMBA, coming from a sports background?
My career was shaping up to be an academic one until I was surprised to find myself running professionally. I taught and researched statistics at BYU and continued to do this part-time for the first half of my running career. At some point, I began starting businesses and developing real estate and my academic hobby (and I miss it!) phased out. I'm now a sunsetting athlete, and decided that maybe I should have some formal business education — and it seemed like a great opportunity for our family to spend some time in this beautiful country.
You’re an accomplished long-distance runner and competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Tell us some more about your career in running!
A running career has been a fun ride, and a blessing for our family to be able to see the world. In Paris this past summer, we watched two training partners and various friends compete in the games. The running world has become an extended family to us. And I'll be forever grateful for the lessons I learned running marathons. Runners hit walls, but so do the rest of us in different ways. When I hit a wall, I run the mile I am in. And when life is feeling easy, I take time to assess where I'm headed: knowing I'm moving in the right direction will help me keep my head down the next time I hit a wall.
At Oxford, you competed in the Varsity Cross-Country against Cambridge and the British Universities and Colleges Sport Cross-Country (BUCS XC). How did those go?
Coach Seddon and the TEAM are an amazing group of people. And they make me feel young! I've enjoyed training with and getting to know runners on the squad and in this community. Varsity XC was like nothing I've ever raced... I didn't know XC could be so...cross-country. We ran through a river! And BUCS was an incredible environment to experience. The energy was amazing — and no one had a cheering section as loud as Oxford!
What are your plans for the future after studying here?
Erica and I are still working on this! We love Saucony, our title partner throughout a running career, and I will likely continue to explore opportunities with this purposeful brand. I'm also writing a book, speaking, and working in real estate businesses with my very savvy brothers. I'll be excited to apply lessons from the business school in all these pursuits. And perhaps some new ventures with some of my cohort — I'm in a class full of brilliant thinkers and hard workers.
