Submitted photo: Chase Bulten, a Manson Northwest Webster and Iowa Central graduate, has qualified for the upcoming Boston Marathon.

NASHVILLE — Chase Bulten was feeling as locked in as possible heading toward the finish line recently at Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon.

The Manson Northwest Webster graduate and former Iowa Central and Northwestern College runner had his sights set on the prize when he nearly saw it all go wrong with roughly a half mile remaining in the race.

Bulten was able to get back on track — literally — and claim first place in the half-marathon portion of the event. He finished in a time of 1:12.02, winning by over 46 seconds to secure a spot in the upcoming Boston Marathon.

“I felt very strong throughout,” Bulten said. “I had a moment in the race where I was briefly directed off course, and had to recollect my focus and get back on track.

“Luckily, it didn’t affect the outcome.”

The race featured over 2,000 runners from various states, including Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia and Missouri. It started at Clinch Avenue Bridge and finished at World’s Fair Park, taking the competitors through Downtown Knoxville.

For the 27-year-old Bulten, it was a perfect way to prepare himself for the big race in Boston.

“I knew it was a challenging course with a lot of hills and could point out any weaknesses for Boston,” he said. “I went into Knoxville with the goal to win and not worry too much about the end time but instead just keep a consistent strong effort through the hills.”

Bulten has plenty of long-race experience, including an appearance in the NJCAA Half Marathon National Championships while running for the Tritons. The 2016 MNW graduate, who grew up in Barnum, also competed in 2018 and 2020 at Northwestern in both cross country and track.

Now an assistant coach at Campbellsville University, Bulten continues to train himself and get the next generation ready. He was named the Mid-South Conference Assistant Coach of the Year this past season as Campbellsville won the National Christian College Athletic Association title, competed at the NAIA Cross Country Championships and were runners-up at the NAIA Marathon Classic.

The Boston Marathon is on Monday, April 21. Over 36,000 applications were received during the registration period, with just over 24,000 being accepted.

Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia won the race last year in 2:06.17. The last American winner was Mebrahtom “Meb” Keflezighi in 2014.

“Training for Boston has been much more calculated and controlled than my previous few marathon builds,” he said. “I had to slowly work into training after recovering from a lower leg injury following my last marathon in December.

“In the past, I’ve struggled with doing a few too many big workouts and pushing a little too hard leading up to goal marathons. I think being more patient and controlled will benefit Boston. I’m going into Boston with a much more conservative race plan than my past few marathons. I hope to finish the last half of the race much stronger in Boston. It’s my first world major marathon, and I hope to enjoy the experience.”