Alumni Spotlight: Jake Bertelsen

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Last week was one Jake Bertelsen will remember for a very long time.

The Miami University graduate (who owns Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering) had his first-ever article published in the Applied Thermal Engineering journal. After years of work on his thesis related to 'facilitating water droplet removal from surfaces using air flow and wettability gradients,' Bertelsen was able to share the final version of his findings.

A proud moment, to be sure. But not the only one Bertelsen enjoyed last week.

Why? Because in his spare time, the former Miami University student-athlete (who spent five years with the RedHawk cross country/track and field program) also won the Columbus Marathon.

Not a bad five-day stretch!

Bertelsen, a native of nearby Powell, Ohio, competed in his second-ever marathon on October 20 and finished in a time of 2:17:08, a 21-minute improvement over his 2023 race in Columbus. The 25-year-old took first place in a field of more than 3,500 competitors, even if he couldn't quite believe it at first.

"Winning the whole thing felt like a long shot," Bertelsen said. "But, you know, sometimes life surprises you!"

Bertelsen spent much of this year's race in a pack with two other runners that he'd previously competed against in college, and the lead changed hands multiple times over the first hour or two until he started to pull away over the final four miles.

Bertelsen said he focused on spreading out his fanny pack full of energy gel packs to make sure his body didn't run out of fuel down the stretch. After carbo-loading for days leading up to the race (including the 'hidden perk' of marathon training: availing himself of at least a dozen donuts through the work week at his office!), Bertelsen's planning and preparation paid off. Jake Bertelsen

"With how impressionable last year's experience was —I completely 'died' around miles 17-18 and more less had to jog and walk it in— I was determined not to have that [happen] again," he explained.

"I glanced back at one point after mile 23…and I wasn't quite out of the woods. There's always still the concern in the back of my mind that someone's going to have a crazy kick at the end," Bertelsen said. "But by the end, there wasn't really a thought in my mind: Just put one foot in front of the other and get across the finish line as fast as you can!"

As Bertelsen approached the finish line in his hometown, nearby runners (who were completing a half-marathon at the same time) and the gathered throng of spectators cheered him on. The Worthington Christian product was thankful to not only have several friends in the crowd from his high school days, but his parents and brother were in attendance as well.

"The energy down that last half mile was awesome; I'd never experienced anything like it," said Bertelsen, who ultimately finished more than a minute and a half ahead of his closest competitor. "There's such a good positive energy at the whole event, and it honestly made it super fun."

Bertelsen is no stranger to running success. He also captured the title at the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in Indianapolis last May and has enjoyed participating in quite a few road races (5Ks, 10Ks, and mini marathons) since wrapping up his collegiate career.

At Miami, Bertelsen was part of two title-winning teams and was named Academic All-MAC in five straight years, living up to the RedHawks' mission of graduating champions.

"Jake joined the team after showing lots of potential during his senior year of high school. He bought into what we were doing very quickly and progressed as we hoped he would," said head cross country coach De'Sean Turner.

"Jake exemplified the mentality we look for in athletes coming out of high school with a chip on their shoulder. He worked very hard and stayed focused when he was with us, so it's not surprising to see that he has found success with racing on the roads. I'm excited to see what he'll be able to accomplish in the coming years!"

One of Bertelsen's favorite memories from his time in Oxford is helping the Miami men's outdoor track and field team win a MAC Championship in the spring of 2021, the program's first since 1993. Bertelsen posted a 10K time of 29:39.87 in that meet, claiming runner-up honors in a race he'd never even competed in before. In fact, his 10,000-meter mark still ranks among the top 10 in program history.

Jake Bertelsen

"That was a magical couple of days," Bertelsen recalled. "Everyone performed to the best of their abilities, and we came through for each other. That 10K was what I consider to be the breakout performance for me in running…the expectations weren't super-high for me going into it, but, I don't know – there was some magic in the air.

"It was so fun to pull through for my teammates and help contribute to our getting the title."

The next fall, in his final season running cross country, Bertelsen produced a sub-24-minute personal-best time at the MAC Championships (23:58.8) to place 10th, earn all-conference honors, and help the RedHawks claim their second men's cross country team title this century.

"That whole season worked out perfectly," Bertelsen said. "Every race I ran I would PR in, which makes it a lot of fun continuing to improve, and that culminated in me finally breaking 24 simultaneously with us winning the MAC title. That just tied it all together in beautiful fashion…

"I remember I had some class conflicts with our workouts on Fridays, so a few of us would do workouts early in the morning out on the cross country course. Those were very memorable: The sun's rising, and there's still fog and a dew on the grass. It's just a whole well of good memories that stick out to me – those mornings together with my buddies…

"I would say my time competing in track and cross country at Miami was absolutely foundational to the runner I am today. There's hardly a day that goes by without me missing the camaraderie and great experiences afforded to me by being with that special group.

"Honestly, looking back? Those were the best years of my life."

After graduating with his Master's degree this past spring, the Academic All-District honoree recently accepted a position with Karpinski Engineering to work in their Columbus office. His firm does MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) engineering for large commercial buildings, and Bertelsen is grateful for the education, resumé and internship experiences that helped propel him into his current role.

He credits the lessons he learned as a Miami student-athlete for the success he's enjoyed, both in his chosen career field and in his ever-expanding collection of road races.

"I found that hard work will always pay dividends if you have the patience to see it through and see the result," Bertelsen said. "Being a college athlete comes with so many highs and lows…in those low points, you have to have trust and faith in yourself that you'll reach those highs again, to know that if you keep doing the right things, eventually you'll get the results you want…

"One of the best things about our sport is that you can surprise yourself every time you toe the line. You can achieve things you never really thought you were capable of doing. If you were to ask me in high school or my earlier years at Miami if I'd ever be winning a marathon, I would say absolutely not!

"Running has been such a blessing to me. I'm very thankful to have it in my life…and I hope to continue to have it for years to come!"

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The 2024 Miami men's and women's cross country teams get their postseason underway this weekend with the MAC Championships in Muncie, Ind. The women's race begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, with the men's race to follow at noon. Check out MAC Championship Central for more information, and follow the live results here.

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