The Aaron “Bugatti” Davidson Story
Everyone loves a good underdog story. A runner who missed qualifying for DIII Nationals in cross country throughout his career and never broke 15:00 in a track 5k recently surprised with an Olympic Trials qualifying marathon time.
Aaron Davidson’s running journey began at Archie Williams High School in San Anselmo, CA. Aaron had a need for speed, yet he faced one small dilemma: he was very slow. Aaron ended his freshman cross country season with a three-mile PR of 24:15. He came out for track hungry to improve, and one of the upperclassmen on the team decided Aaron had earned a nickname. Aaron was dubbed Bugatti Aaron, an ode to the fastest street legal car at the time: the Bugatti Veyron. Aaron won his final race of the freshman season, a junior varsity 800, in 2:25. Aaron has been chasing that exhilarating feeling of victory ever since.
The legend of Bugatti was born, and continued into college, where Aaron attended DIII Cornell in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Whispers of the nickname Bugatti made it all the way to my college, Occidental, in sunny Los Angeles. A teammate and close friend, Amir Barkan, attended high school with Aaron. Rumors of his ridiculous workouts often wound up in the team group chats. He became a bit of a cult figure for his somewhat outlandish goals, one of which was joining Bowerman Track Club. As a fan of the underdog story, my eyes were always peeled for Bugatti news. When I saw that Aaron qualified for the Olympic Trials in his second marathon, I knew it was time for his story to be told—a story of commitment, grit, and an undeniable will to dream big.
Love of running comes naturally to Aaron. His passion for the sport is second nature.
“I never really put a ton of thought into it. I guess what drew me in is the sense of home that running provides.”
Aaron finds this home in the comradery of his teammates and fellow runners. This is one of the things that attracted Aaron to Cornell College’s track: a close-knit team that was hungry and driven for success. As he improved, running became a greater part of his identity. With improvement, Aaron placed more and more pressure on himself. Aaron wanted success so bad he could taste it.
In his senior year of cross country, Aaron headed to the regional meet coming off a dominant victory at his conference championships.
Aaron entered the regional meet with a great mindset. He knew he belonged, and he was relaxed and ready. Coming down the home stretch, Aaron was in position to qualify individually for nationals, but he was passed and beaten by one second, missing the national meet by one spot.
Aaron came back for his fifth year without individual goals. In fact, he was marathon training throughout the cross season. He came back as a leader to help his team. However, he once again dominated his conference meet and entered the regional meet with a chip on his shoulder. Yet, he missed the national meet by one agonizing spot. Aaron’s perspective of this heartbreak shows a steady head.
“The one who is ready to fight the hardest on race day deserves a qualifying spot the most.”
With this mindset Aaron moved on from this race and never looked back: it was marathon time! Even in his high school days, Aaron always specializes at longer distances. In college, the 10k felt too short.
“I could never find a good rhythm…by the time I locked in, the race was already over.”
Aaron knew the half and full marathon would be his sweet spot. After his fifth year, Aaron took a lengthy three days off before resuming training. His first test, a half marathon time trial in 30-degree weather and pouring rain. Aaron recalls running 67:59. This was all the confirmation he needed.
“Let’s get f***ing real. It’s time for 130 miles weeks.”
Aaron debuted in the Houston Marathon, where he ran 2:21:40. Delighted with his debut, Aaron went all in on the dream and moved to Flagstaff, Arizona. He set his sights on the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota. Dreams came to reality and hard work bore fruit as Aaron placed 16th and covered the marathon distance in 2:16:11. This was 5:30 pr and crushed the Olympic trials standard of 2:18. Everything had come together on race day.
“As I was clicking off miles, I kept making myself smile. Everything is easier when you’re happy. I kept repeating the Tik Tok sound “This is fun and I like to do this” in my head. It hurt so much, but it was so fun, and that’s the name of the game.”
Part of Aaron’s lore is his unwavering confidence to vocalize dreams others may view as unrealistic.
“The dream is to make an Olympic team, contend for a medal, and eventually be going for the American record. I know I have a ceiling, but for the time being I’m going to operate as if my ceiling doesn’t exist.”
Aaron’s mindset reminds me of the myth that Daniel Komen had no concept of pacing, rather he just ran as hard as possible. Talking to Aaron, I can see that he operates in a similar realm with his running goals. Aaron draws inspiration from the great Ethiopian and Kenyan runners, especially Kipchoge, who he sees as the king of humility. This is one thing that struck me about Aaron; although he sets is goals at extremely lofty peaks, there is a humble nature about him. One would think he would need to be cocky, but that is not the case in the slightest.
As our interview came to a close, I asked Aaron what advice he has for other DIII runners and those chasing the dream and fast times. Aaron laughed, saying he doesn’t have anything particularly profound to share. He voiced a common mantra as one of the main keys to improvement: relax.
“Dog, it’s a run like any other day. Chill and relax.”
Reminiscent of the Big Lebowski, as the dude abides, so does Bugatti.
I am deeply inspired by Aaron’s story and hope his recent accomplishments inspire many other DIII runners and fans like myself. Here’s to wishing Aaron even more success, and I for one will be keeping my eyes peeled for that next breakthrough. Bugatti trusts himself and he’s only getting faster, so cheers to shooting for the moon and landing among the stars.