The Very Definition of an Athlete

Attorney Monty Murry shares all about his training, qualifying, and participating in the Boston Marathon 

by  Lisa Porterfield Thompson

photo by PEYTON SIMS

In 2013, Monty participated in Ironman Arizona which consisted of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run.

Dallas, Galveston, Chicago, New York, and Boston. These aren’t the stops on a busy flight schedule, rather triathlon/marathon destinations checked off by our friend, Monty Murry, astute lawyer, dedicated runner, fly fisherman turned ballroom dancer. 

“In 2011, I told my wife that I wanted to start running,” Monty said. “I had never been a runner in my life, but I wanted to give it a shot. I immediately joined the gym – CHRISTUS St. Michael Health Center – and started out by running a mile or two each day on the treadmill. That same week, I got online and signed up to run the Dallas Marathon in December of that year, just 10 months away.” 

To most people, this sounds crazy. To Monty, it was a way to motivate himself.  “I figured that signing up would give me the motivation I needed to run. I’m a very goal-oriented person,” Monty said. “I finished the Dallas Marathon that year, which was the first race I had ever run. I can still remember Ryan saying, ‘Can’t you just run a 5K, or a 10K, or a half marathon first?’ A month after that, I started running with a group of triathletes – Team Texarkana (AKA Team Jackass) – who competed in Ironman triathlons.” 

Even though crossing the finish line at the Boston Marathon wasn’t any more glamorous than any other marathon, Monty admits he was “just glad it was finished.”

Ryan is Monty’s wife of 20 years. She keeps him balanced, or so he says.  “I had not been a swimmer or a cyclist before [training with Team Texarkana], but I signed up for Ironman Galveston – a half Ironman (swim 1.2 miles, bike 56, and run 13.1) which was held in April of 2012,” he said. “As I recall, I didn’t even have a bike at the time, and the race was just four months away. Even though I came close to drowning on the swim, I finished that race, then went on to finish two full Ironmans – Arizona and Chattanooga – before deciding to retire my bike.” 

Monty participated in the Boston Marathon on April 18, 2022.

In 2015, Monty ran the Chicago Marathon, and in 2019, he ran the New York Marathon. Both races are “lottery races,” which means it is luck of the draw to be granted the chance to register.  “I was lucky enough to get into both on the first try,” Monty said. “However, the goal of every runner is to someday run in the most coveted race of all, the Boston Marathon.” 

The Boston Marathon is not a lottery race. Rather, runners must meet the qualification times, which Monty describes as “challenging to say the least.”  “I never thought I would actually get a chance to run Boston until Friday, March 13, 2020, the day everything closed,” Monty said. “Ryan and I were in the habit of going to the St. Michaels’ fitness center every morning at 5:30 a.m. I would either do weights or run from the fitness center with friends, then go up to my office, where I would shower and get dressed for the day. The week after it shut down, I decided to dedicate the next 12 months qualifying for Boston. It helped that I would be turning 60 the next year, and my qualifying time would jump from 3:35 to 3:50.” 

One of Ryan and Monty’s favorite pastimes is to cruise on the Queen Mary 2, with ballroom dancing a close second.

Monty planned for his qualifying race to be The Woodlands Marathon in March of 2021, which would give him 12 months to train. For the next year, he woke up at 3:45 a.m. every morning. During the week, he ran six miles or so daily from his house, then walk four additional miles after that with Ryan. On Sundays, he ran long distances, starting out with 13 miles, eventually working his way up to 18-22 miles, still walking with Ryan afterwards.  “I feel as though I need to apologize to those living in Wake Village, my usual route, for waking up all of the dogs in their neighborhood at 4:30 each morning,” Monty said. “The dogs and I eventually became friends, although I always carried pepper spray for the occasional stray that felt the need to come after me. Thankfully, I never had to use it.” 

When asked about techniques, Monty only pointed to one oddity that he thinks might be different than most. “A lot of runners listen to music while they run,” Monty said, “but I have always preferred to do so in silence, with only my thoughts for company.” 

Prior to running the Boston Marathon, Monty and his wife, Ryan, visited a pub and enjoyed the city.

After all, Monty is a thinker. By day, he’s a well-known personal injury trial lawyer. He’s been practicing law in the Texarkana area for the last 34 years.  “I was never particularly interested in playing sports while in middle school and high school, although I did grow up playing baseball,” he said. “Instead, I spent my time involved with band and the Math Team, which consisted of Slide Rule and Number Sense. Daingerfield was known for having one of the best Math Teams in the state. I became involved with Slide Rule when I was a sophomore and was UIL Texas State Champion the very next year as a junior. One might say I was the typical ‘nerd,’ and I own that.” 

Nerd or not, as an adult, Monty Murry is the very definition of an athlete. 

In March of 2021, he ran The Woodlands Marathon in a time of 3:32, 18 minutes under his qualifying time for the Boston Marathon. 

“In November 2021, I was accepted to Boston, although I had already booked my travel arrangements months before in anticipation,” Monty says. “I didn’t run nearly as long or hard after The Woodlands, as my goal had shifted from having to run a certain time, to simply enjoying the experience.” 

Monty adds, “Running a marathon can never really be enjoyable.” 

“None of my previous marathons or triathlons were as exciting or emotional as Boston,” Monty admits. “We arrived in Boston several days early to enjoy the city. I quickly realized that this race was a huge deal for Boston and the entire surrounding area. The finish line was already up, and the local television stations could not talk about anything else. I didn’t see this in Chicago or New York. 

“Running 26.2 miles into Boston on a small county road seemed like it would be fairly boring and unexciting,” Monty says, “but I quickly discovered this would not be the case. The road along the way was packed with screaming fans, and it seemed like everyone in the county had shown up. At one point, we ran past an all-women’s college, where all the women were standing on the sides holding up signs that read, ‘Kiss me.’ That was their tradition. I quickly got used to hearing people shout, ‘Go Ponytail Man,’ which I preferred over ‘Run Santa!’ from the boys at Boston College.” 

Monty said the finish wasn’t any more glamorous or exciting than any other marathon finish line, but that he was just glad it was finished. That’s a sentiment that we can all understand. 

When he’s not running, and planning trips across the country to run, Monty and his wife, Ryan, enjoy ballroom dancing. The two have four children and six grandchildren.  “One of our favorite things to do now is to cruise on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, for their formal balls and nightly dancing,” Monty said. “We are currently scheduled to take a ‘crossing’ – across the Atlantic from New York to Southampton, UK, and back – a cruise which has been rescheduled four times now due to COVID. We are keeping our fingers crossed. 

“Since there are not many places to ballroom dance in our area, except perhaps the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs on occasion, we have taken up country dancing, which is basically the same thing, we’ve discovered, except in boots and jeans instead of gowns and tuxedos,” Monty acknowledges. “We can now be found most Friday nights at the VFW, which has a live band and the friendliest group of people you will ever find.” 

Aside from running and dancing, Monty is the president of the Kiwanis Club of Texarkana, a job that keeps him busier than he ever imagined. He’s also making plans for more fun. “My next daring adventure on the bucket list,” he concludes, “is Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. I can’t say that Ryan is all that excited about this one.” 

Monty enjoys taking some time to do some fly fishing on the Roaring River in Missouri.

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