Interview and photos by PaFoua Hang

Jason Smith is originally from Baltimore, MD, although he has lived in Brooklyn for 27 years. Outside of running and spending time with his wife, daughter, and dog, Jason owns and operates a fine arts logistics company he co-founded called “maquette.” Maquette works closely with major museums and galleries, providing shipping, handling, packing, and installation of fine art objects. Jason has worked in the fine arts conservation and logistics industry for over 22 years.

Read on to learn more about Jason’s artistic background, his involvement with PPTC and Running for Ayotzinapa 43, and his recent accomplishments as a runner in PPTC’s Masters division.

Congrats on your recent success with maquette! Before we dive into running, can you tell us a bit about your art background?

Thank you! When I was growing up in the 1980s, I struggled as a student due to a learning disability. At the time, learning challenges and differences were still widely misunderstood and understudied, so my teachers were not properly equipped in teaching or understanding my difficulty with reading and writing. As a result, my grades suffered and I felt generally pretty bad about myself as a student. Fortunately, I discovered that I was good at making things so I sought solace and success by drawing, and later sculpting. This has led me to devote most of my life so far in studying the creation and preservation of art.

I came to NYC to study at Pratt, and received my Masters in Fine Arts at Hunter College. During that time, I found a job at an art conservation studio where I was exposed to the fine art logistics industry and that eventually enabled me to create my best piece of art so far: maquette! Maquette has been in business for over eight years, and provides services to museums, auction houses, collectors, and galleries globally.

Maquette has transported and installed multi-million dollar artworks, packed, crated and moved Roosevelt’s trophy elephant skeletons from the Museum of Natural History’s attic, and taped bananas to walls at the recent Art Basel Miami fair.

When did you join PPTC and what do you like about this club?

I officially joined PPTC about two years ago in January 2018. I noticed PPTC’s red shirts when I was running around Prospect Park. The runners stood out and seemed to be an inclusive group. As a new runner, the club felt welcoming.

I like that PPTC feels like an extended family and community. I am able to step out of my day-to-day routines and connect with other members through the simple act of running.

My favorite PPTC events are Harry’s Handicap and Awards Night.

How did you start running and what is keeping you going?

I have always been athletic, playing football and lacrosse when I was younger, but I never ran for the sake of running. I quit smoking in 2008, and started running on and off in 2012 to get back in shape. I was running about three miles once a week, and that felt strenuous at the time. Eventually, I started running a bit farther, twice a week, but nothing more than a loop of the Park.

Two years ago, my wife signed our family up for a CHiPS 5K run/walk in Prospect Park, and I decided to race as hard as I could. For someone who was not running regularly or training at all, I raced pretty well. I fell in love with running because of that race. I loved the way I felt afterwards—it felt amazing and I was hooked!

Over the course of many miles, I have realized that running has given me not only physical strength but, more importantly, mental strength. It has shown me that through suffering I can summon courage and find peace. Suffering is part of the human condition, so it is something that everyone has to live with and accept wholly. I have learned that when I have fully accepted the act of suffering, as one can learn to do through running, I am more receptive to finding and accepting happiness. Running is a small-scale version of life’s larger challenges. By working on the smaller version daily, it has helped me with the larger version. The suffering and sense of appreciation I get during running has become a small model of what I believe life is all about—a maquette, if you will. ;)

Jason Smith holding a photo of Antonio Tizapa’s disappeared son.

What aspect of the club are you most active in?

I am a member of PPTC’s Social Committee. I organize and host the Father’s Day run and the Ayotzinapa 43 5K in December. Both events intend to promote a dialogue and raise awareness of human rights violations, and both are organized with Running for Ayotzinapa 43, a running club fighting to bring justice to the families of the 43 forcibly disappeared students from the Ayotzinapa Teachers’ College in Guerrero, Mexico. My wife Renee Reyes and I were initially moved by the case of the Ayotzinapa 43 because of my wife’s Mexican heritage, but our commitment to the cause has become more personal as we have developed a strong friendship with the runners and Antonio Tizapa, the father of one of the students and founder of the running club.

Are you currently training for a race or a particular running goal?

I am currently training for the Boston Marathon, where I hope to reach my marathon goal time of 2:50. I recently raced the NYC Marathon and fell short of my marathon goal at 2:55, which was still a huge PR for me as my previous time was 3:09. I am happy with my PR at NYCM, but I hope to do better in Boston.

I would like to run a 16:59 5k and a 1:19 or faster half marathon.

Would you mind telling us about your training for NYC Marathon?

I am lucky to have a supportive wife and a career that allows me to make my own training schedule. Despite the flexibility, I prefer to run early in the morning since that is when I feel like I can get the most out of my workouts. My training cycle during the NYC Marathon went very well despite some minor issues with one of my toes and my hip. There will always be some issues with running, and fortunately I did not lose any training miles during the NYCM cycle. Overall, I felt strong during training, but I have yet to find that level of comfort or rhythm on race day. It’s still something I am working on.

What is your favorite race distance?

My favorite race distances are the Half and the 5k. I think you get faster and run smarter at a distance the more you race it. I believe these two distances allow you to race more frequently without too much prolonged recovery time until you can run the same distance again.

What is your favorite race?

My favorite race is Rock the Ridge 50 Miler (“RTR”). Before RTR, I had only run one marathon, and that was the farthest I had ever run, so I was not sure whether I could run 50 miles. I am turning 46 and feel incredibly lucky to be able to run. Once I built up my running base, I wanted to have as many running experiences as possible. There is no time to waste!

RTR was an incredible experience that stemmed from a strong training cycle, which gave me the confidence I needed on race day. The distance was challenging and made the final 15 miles the most painful and uncomfortable I have ever felt while running, but I realized that without the suffering I would not have been as receptive to appreciating the beauty of the surroundings and energy from the people out there. At the end, Eric Levenstein pushed me to finish in 8:04. It was just as beautiful after the race while cheering on the remaining finishers with the PPTC gang.

Do you have any running-related rituals or routines?

I usually practice Zazen meditation the night before a race. I think meditation and running are similar since they both allow me to feel and to recognize strength and compassion simultaneously. Those two things can be contradictory at times, so it can be challenging to feel them both unless you are being intentional. I need both in order to run well and to become a more well-rounded person in other aspects of my life, with my family and my work. Over time, running has become another form of daily meditation practice for me. In devoting more time to one, I get better in the other.

I usually listen to nothing when I am running, but once in a while I listen to long melodic songs I can get lost in. After a run, my favorite tools for recovery are the foam roller and the Hypervolt. My favorite post-run meal includes burgers and beers.

Any advice you would give to other runners or your younger running self?

It takes a lot of time to build your running base—it can take years, but do not give up. Push through the pain and the reward will be worth it!

Anything else you would like your teammates to know about you?

I really enjoy being a part of this group of great people.

Member Spotlight: Jason Smith