By Brian Consiglio, consigliob@missouri.edu | Show Me Mizzou
Video by Mizzou Visual Productions
At the University of Missouri, the pursuit of excellence extends far beyond campus as Tigers continually challenge themselves to achieve more in their careers, communities and personal lives.
For some Mizzou faculty, staff and alumni, that pursuit has led to marathons, triathlons and other remarkable feats of endurance. Meet seven Tigers who prove that personal growth often begins just beyond the comfort zone.
Jaume Padilla, PhD
Fewer than 5% of the 1.2 million people who run a marathon each year finish in less than 3 hours. Mizzou’s Jaume Padilla is one of them.
As a professor in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and the School of Medicine, as well as an investigator in the Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health building, Padilla knows success is built through persistence.
“In my late 30s, I promised my graduate students that I would run a marathon before turning 40, so at age 39, I signed up for the Heart of America Marathon in Columbia, finishing in 3 hours and 40 minutes,” Padilla said. “That experience sparked my next goal to break the 3-hour mark, which took me six years and 16 marathons to reach. Along the way, I learned a lot about discipline, structure, focus and consistency.”
Padilla studies cardiovascular disease, and he said running has become an important part of his research process.
“My best ideas emerge when I am running in nature, disconnected from the screens,” Padilla said. “As an exercise physiologist and researcher, I enjoy tweaking components of my own training to determine what works best.”
In 2025, Padilla ran the Monumental Indianapolis Marathon in 2 hours and 56 minutes. The accomplishment adds to a résumé that also includes three Boston Marathon finishes.
“I enjoy the simplicity of running,” Padilla said. “In a complicated world, it is refreshing to just lace up your shoes and go.”
Read the full Show Me Mizzou story published on Monday, July 20, 2026.
Highlighting the promise of personalized health care and the impact of large-scale interdisciplinary collaboration, the NextGen Precision Health initiative is bringing together innovators from across the University of Missouri and the UM System’s three other research universities in pursuit of life-changing precision health advancements. It’s a collaborative effort to leverage the research strengths of Mizzou toward a better future for the health of Missourians and beyond. The Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health building at MU anchors the overall initiative and expands collaboration between researchers, clinicians and industry partners in the state-of-the-art research facility.
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