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Trevor McKay has no excuses while training for his second marathon. So he wakes up before sunrise and tightens his joggles training before work.

McKay tackles every training run around Wausa’s house while juggling three balls.

During his predawn run, he wears a headlamp and a neon yellow vest.

McKay plans to jog the full 26.2 miles of the Heartland Marathon later this month.

He will be one of approximately 725 participants who will be racing the event on September 25th.

Joggle 1 — Trevor McQuay will jog all 26.2 miles of the Heartland Marathon in Omaha this month. Jogging “is a perfect example of not taking yourself too seriously every day,” he said.

Hannah Mackay

The Heartland Marathon features a 10km, half marathon, full marathon and marathon relay. Starting on the trail at Miller’s Landing near Gallup’s Riverfront Campus, it crosses the Bob Kelly Pedestrian Bridge and sends runners to the Council Bluffs trail before returning to Omaha.

McKay is the first juggler, or jogger, to tackle the course in the race’s eight-year history, said race director Tom Whittaker.

Whitaker said it was unique to have a jogger on the course. And that might draw a little more outside attention to the race.

McQuay, 26, started running almost three years ago. Last year he completed his first full marathon in Ely, Minnesota.

It took time for McKay to develop a love for the sport. Adding juggling to the mix allowed him to enjoy running. Today he went for a run and it made him feel better.

McKay bought a set of juggling balls while in college. It became his go-to party trick.

While running around the track, McKay recalled juggling balls in cars. So he started juggling while running.

“I used to run a few miles every day. It was so boring and painful at the same time,” he said. “I was like, ‘Why am I in pain and running for half an hour? I can’t breathe.'”

McKay kept practicing and eventually found juggling while running a little easier. In that moment, McKay thought he had created a new sport. But then he stumbled upon the established and sometimes competitive sport of jogging.

The world record for jogging during a marathon is held by Canada’s Michal Kapar, who completed the Toronto Waterfront Marathon on September 30, 2007 in 2:50:12. At the Chicago Marathon in October 2016, Kapal never dropped the ball and he jogged the entire race in 2:55:25.

McKay signed up for the Omaha Marathon and tried jogging in cooler temperatures. However, the Omaha race, originally scheduled for September, was canceled earlier this year after its New York-based owner sold it to the Omaha Running Club.

So McKay decided to challenge the running club’s Heartland Marathon. He confirmed with the organizers that jogging would not be a problem. He plans to stick to the back of the pack at the starting line to avoid traffic jams.

Joggle 2 — Trevor McKay said he didn’t want to bother other runners when he jogged for the Heartland Marathon later this month. ”

Hannah Mackay

“I don’t want to be a nuisance to other runners,” McKay said. “Most people want to take the marathon seriously. I don’t want to waste the days they’ve spent months training.”

McKay continues to train joggles six days a week. He averages about 40 miles a week and juggles every run. He said it’s easier when he’s running than when he’s standing still.

Juggling is all about repetitive little arm movements, McKay says. So far, he’s found it to work well with running.

In a few miles you may drop the ball 3-4 times due to slipping hands or ball collision. You can also do long stretches without dropping the ball at all.

On the streets of Wausa and at the racetrack, McQuay hopes his juggling will make people smile.

“For me, jogging is the perfect example that anyone can do anything they want,” he said. “I also think jogging is a perfect example of not taking yourself too seriously on a daily basis. People should find something they enjoy doing that.”