Robby Creese was greeted with cheers from nearby pedestrians when he crossed the finish line as the male winner of the Baltimore Marathon. The look of exhaustion on his face was evident. What most of those people watching didn’t know, however, is that the 29-year-old signed up for the 26.2-mile race just a day before. 

“When I won I was pretty happy, but at first, I just wanted to rest a bit and stretch before celebrating too much or being too happy,” said Creese. “I was definitely exhausted and probably a little bit dehydrated at the end, but it felt pretty good to win.” 

Creese is no stranger to running, though. The Penn State track and field alum has been running nearly his entire life and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. 

The Mount Airy, Maryland, native graduated from Penn State in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics. Creese received his doctorate in mathematics from Penn State earlier this year and now works as a full-time applied research mathematician.

As a high school student looking at college track programs, Penn State’s track program stood out to Creese because of the lifestyle and training schedule of the coaches and team. He described it as being the “best fit” for him.

“One of my favorite memories at Penn State would be running the 4 x 800 at Penn Relays my freshman year when we ended up winning for the first time in 25 years,” Creese said. “It was awesome, and it was cool to do it in front of a huge crowd of thousands of people. All my teammates were so ecstatic and happy. It was great.”

Creese left an impressive legacy behind at Penn State. Notably, he was the Nittany Lions’ top runner at the Big Ten Cross Country championship in 2012 for the 8K and was even named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year that same year.

Although these accomplishments are nearly a decade in the past, Creese hasn’t stopped running on a daily basis. When asked why he decided to sign up for the Baltimore Marathon just a day before, he explained that he had participated in a 10K the week prior and told himself that if he finished under a certain time he would sign up for the marathon.

Sure enough, he finished under that certain time and decided to give the Baltimore Marathon a go.

“I knew I had a good chance to win or at least be competitive up there,” Creese said. 

Creese held the lead for the majority of the race and ended up finishing in 2:26:47. He averaged an impressive 5:36 per mile. 

The Baltimore Marathon included participants from around the country and even some from around the world. Creese was one of 1,695 entrants. 

When asked why he continues to run, Creese explains that it’s convenient and a great way to stay in shape.

“It allows me to push myself but also it’s just something that it’s very easy to get out and do on your own,” Creese said. “With other things, you need to set up a time, set up a schedule, but with running you can just put on your shoes, walk out the door, and go.”