Bill Sikes, Associated Press
U.S. distance runners Galen Rupp, left, Jared Ward, center, and Desiree Linden stand after a Boston Marathon media availability Friday, April 14, 2017, in advance of Monday's race in Boston.
One brief exchange with an NBA basketball player made all of Jared Ward's efforts to qualify for the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics worth it.
"At the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, I asked Kevin Durant for a fist bump. He turned around and said, 'Seriously, bro, I love the 'stache,'" Ward said. "That made the trip worth it."
The meeting with Durant was one of several topics that Ward, a BYU statistics professor and member of the LDS Church, recently discussed in an article published by Runner's World.