Spurred to reach the finish line of the Extra Yard 5K, Louisiana Teacher of the Year surprised himself

By Jaime Aron 

His belly still full from Thanksgiving, Spencer Kiper knew that the College Football Playoff National Championship was six weeks away.  

Just enough time, he figured, to get ready. 

As the reigning Louisiana Teacher of the Year, Kiper already knew he’d be a host of sorts with the big game being held in New Orleans. And as a graduate of LSU Shreveport, he was hoping to have even more at stake. 

So over the holiday weekend, Kiper sent an email to all his fellow Teachers of the Year, all of whom were going to be part of the festivities, courtesy of Dr Pepper and the College Football Playoff Foundation. He wrote that he was planning on getting shape to run the Extra Yard 5K on the Sunday of championship weekend. Anyone want to commit to joining him? 

At the time, Kiper weighed about 220 pounds. He’d also never run 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). 

“It was a way for me to kind of set my sights on the weekend,” he said. “I wanted to challenge myself to do something I didn’t believe I could do.” 

Stacey McAdoo of Arkansas was the only Teacher of the Year to take up his challenge. They became each other’s accountability partner. 

“Every time we did a run, we’d send a message with our time and a picture of our face,” Kiper said. “That was a huge piece of it.” 

Kiper used a mash-up of the couch-to-5K app and the Classroom to 5K program sent out by Extra Yard for Teachers. Between running and watching his diet, he got down to 207 pounds. That’s a drop of more than two pounds per week. 

In his final week-plus of training, Kiper ran a 5K almost every day. So he knew he could make the distance. By that point, the competitor in him was looking to blaze the best time possible. 

His best training time was just above 38 minutes. With the added adrenaline from being part of a big event – and getting cheered on by family, friends and others sure to yell even louder for teachers – he hoped to finish a little faster. 

Well, he finished a lot faster. 

Kiper needed only 32 minutes, 6.5 seconds. That’s a pace of 10 minutes, 21 seconds per mile.  

His time was among the top 50 percent. Among the Teachers of the Year, he finished third. 

“It was probably a mix of the energy surrounding the event and that feeling of self-fulfillment,” he said. “I wanted to push myself. … I felt like I had an obligation to my state to do the best I could.” 

Spencer Kipper, 2019 Louisiana Teacher of the Year (Left) at the Finish Line with Chris Dier, the 2020 Louisiana Teacher of the Year

Now hooked on running, his sister-in-law will be taking over as his accountability partner. They’re already eyeing a virtual run through the Disney programs, with the chance of one day competing in a race at one of the theme parks.  

How about that? Kiper is making strides toward better health because a football game came to his state. 

Congratulations to all of the 16 teachers who placed in the top 4 of their age group in our Extra Yard 5K!

Gregory Thompson

Kevin Marshall

Stacy Roberts

Frederique Jouret

Jan Lehman

Dian Ford

Judy Walls

Leslie Schroth

Haley Fayette

Bethany Perez

Sunday Davis

Julie Martin

Sherri Thompson

Walter Block

Sylvain Destainville-Milan

Thomas Lombardi

KEEP UP THE HARD WORK IN THE CLASSROOM AND IN YOUR RUNNING!