In just his second year in charge of the women’s volleyball team at Long Island University, head coach Toby Rens has pushed the program to new heights. The Blackbirds finished this season with a 26-14 record, collected their second straight Northeast Conference championship and became the first league team to reach the second round of the NCAA tournament. Conference coach and player of the year honors went to Rens and senior outside hitter Lizelle Jackson, respectively.

As phenomenal of a season as it was for Rens, perhaps what stands out most is what he accomplished off the court. On the morning of October 30, Rens and his two sisters — and some 30,000 other runners — crowded the starting line of the 30th annual Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. However, much more than a test of physical endurance had drawn Rens to the nation’s capital. He was running in honor of the memory and sacrifice of his brother-in-law, Shawn Brock. Eight months earlier, Brock, a captain in the Marines, had been halfway through a second tour of duty in Iraq when he was killed. He was 29. Before his death, Brock had not only run the Marine Corps Marathon, he had talked about running it with his wife, Rens’ sister, Heather.

It was Rens’ first attempt at a marathon. The same was true for his sisters, as was the fact that the 26-plus miles, by his own admission, was considerably farther than any of them had ever run before. His goal, then, was modest: He simply wanted to finish. However, beyond the emotional and physical challenges, Rens faced a couple of hurdles that tested his resolve.

Because the date of the marathon fell squarely in the middle of the volleyball season, Rens, who began training in the summer, had to squeeze in training runs around the end of recruiting, the start of preseason and two-a-day practices and, ultimately, in-season competition. Since the Blackbirds had a match scheduled with conference rival Central Connecticut State University on the day of the marathon, he worked with Lady Blue Devils head coach Linda Sagnelli, who got an assist for agreeing to reschedule the contest and freeing Rens to participate.

Although Rens admits there were occasions when his training fell by the wayside in the wake of his coaching responsibilities, he worked hard to stick to a routine and establish a habit of running at a certain time of day each day.

 “Looking back, I don’t know how I managed. The reality was that it was the most difficult time of the year to try to not only run a marathon but also to train for it,” said Rens. “Often it was important to just get out and run, but maybe when I really needed to get in about a five- to seven-mile run, I only got in two or three. In the end I felt I had gotten enough miles to be prepared.”

Rens’ focus, sacrifice and determination paid off. He completed the course in four and one-half hours. Both his sisters finished as well, in addition to Brock’s twin brother, who also ran.

Rens described the experience as emotional, given his reasons for entering the marathon, but he said it also was inspiring.

“The training and, at times during the actual marathon, it was very easy to be inspired just thinking of Shawn, everything he went through and the sacrifice he made,” said Rens, who noted that thoughts of his players and the effort they put forward on the court helped motivate him, too. “As a coach, you’re asking them to go the extra mile and give the extra effort in practice and competition. I had that in my mind in doing my preparation, and during the marathon. They were giving me the effort, so there was a big part of me that wanted to prove that I could do the same.”

Rens has no immediate plans to enter another marathon, but he believes he may do so sometime in the future.

“There’s definitely a part of me that can see myself running one again, but it probably won’t be during the season,” he said.