A runner for his hometown Lions from Ellendale, North Dakota, Theo Thurber was a 2024 NCCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country All-American, finishing ninth at the event in the 8K. Thurber is a two-time NCCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Week Award winner, and earned the 2025 Elvin and Joyce King Award for Division II Men’s Cross Country.

Thurber had a unique path to college athletics, as he did not compete for the Lions his freshman year. Instead, Thurber dedicated his time to missions at home and abroad, serving in the United States on the Pine Ridge Reservation and across several states, while spending his second semester in India, Turkey, and Greece. He also spent this past summer as a pastoral intern in Paynesville, Minnesota, and plans to study in Israel this Spring.

In this episode, Thurber talks about running for his mom and with his wife at TBC, his time overseas, and how he shares his faith on the course and abroad.