Bayou Icon | Jeff Thomas

ARTICLE BY GEORGIANN POTTS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

Jeff Thomas runs . . . a lot! He ran his first marathon (the Twin City Marathon) on November 6, 2022, and covered 26.2 miles on that day. Since then he has run nine marathons including three of the world majors (New York in November 2023, Chicago in October 2024, and Boston in April 2025). Each time he runs, Jeff uses his legs and stamina to raise funds for, and increase awareness of, causes important to him. While running is a big part of his life, it is only one part of a life dedicated to service. Jeff says that he runs with purpose and passion. He says that his purpose for running is to give God glory. A fulltime pastor for Start Baptist Church, Jeff has been leading that church for 14 years. Jeff has been known as “Faster Pastor Jeff” ever since a child in his church made a sign to show support when Jeff ran in that first marathon. The sign read, “My pastor is faster!” Jeff says that he also runs with passion – a passion to raise funds that will help children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He is a St. Jude Hero, running to honor and support the work being done there. He is planning to run as a St. Jude Hero in the Tokyo Marathon (March 1, 2026), the London Marathon (April 26, 2026), and the Berlin Marathon (September 27, 2026). With these, Jeff will have completed the Six Star World Major Marathon Series as a St. Jude Hero. Jeff’s life is an inspiration to many, not just his flock in Start. Because of his dedication to serving others and living for Christ, Jeff Thomas is our January 2026 BayouIcon.

IT’S EASY TO MISS START, LOUISIANA,  if you are a stranger driving along Interstate 20. Locals, however, know what a lovely community Start is – and what very nice people live there. One of those is Jeff Thomas, the pastor at Start Baptist Church. He is devoted to the church and the Start community. And why shouldn’t he be? He grew up in Start and his roots there are deep.

Jeff was the middle son born to John and Pat Thomas. His father, John, was a commercial underwriter for State Farm Insurance. His mother, Patricia Townsend Thomas, remained at home while their children were small. After they were in school, Pat began working at Start Elementary School as a teacher’s aide. Jeff’s siblings are older brother John Thomas, Jr. and his younger brother Chris. John is an occupational therapist and lives with his wife, Dawn, in Rayville. Dawn teaches 2nd grade at Ouachita Christian School. Younger brother Chris works in computer technology and information systems with Dean Morris Law. He and his wife Brandi Howard live in Monroe where she works as an interior designer.

Growing Up in Rural Louisiana

When Jeff was two years old, his parents built a home for the family. He and his siblings grew up in that home and his mother still lives there today. The location was perfect because both sets of their grandparents lived close by. Many aunts and uncles were also nearby. Because of the family’s proximity, Jeff and his siblings never moved around much. He says that they really only moved when they went to college and/or got married.

One couple – Jeff’s great-aunt Nancy Wilson and great-uncle James Wilson — lived in the house right next door. “They both had major impacts on me and my brothers,” Jeff says. “They taught us many life lessons, and Aunt Nancy loved the Lord and taught me many things about the Bible. Both of them have made a huge impact upon my life!”

When asked about his homelife growing up, Jeff is quick to reply. He says that the home his parents made for him and his brothers was one in which all of the boys felt loved and encouraged. Their parents taught them how to work hard in school and in sports, and took them to church so that they could learn about the Lord. He is quick to add that his parents also taught them through their actions. Their examples were key to the boys’ growth and development physically and spiritually.

Among many happy childhood memories that Jeff treasures are the times that he and his dad would play catch. His dad would come home from work to find Jeff sitting in the driveway with his glove, a baseball, and his dad’s catcher’s mitt. “Dad wouldn’t even take his tie off,” Jeff remembers. “He would just take off his coat and we would throw the baseball until Mom called us in for dinner!”

Favorite family times away from home were when their parents would take the boys to Major League Baseball games during the summer. They would also try to visit Six Flags Over Texas as much as possible.

Classroom Education

Jeff’s education began at Start Elementary and continued for a time at Start High School until it was consolidated with Rayville High School. He loved basketball, baseball, and track and was good at all three. Jeff played high school basketball and baseball both at Start High and later at Riverfield Academy in Rayville. He transferred to Riverfield when he began 10th grade. During his senior year at Riverfield, the basketball team won the State Championship. “I also ran track at Riverfield, running the 800 meter, the 1600 meter, and the 3200 meter, as well as several relays,” Jeff says.  “I don’t think I really fell in love with running at that time, but eventually I would start running again.”

Tragedy struck just before Jeff’s 16th birthday. His dad was at the Rayville baseball park coaching Chris’s baseball team when their dad suffered a massive heart attack. After his dad’s death, Jeff says that his cousin by marriage, Mike Barham, stepped in to help him. Jeff went to work on the farm in Oak Ridge, Louisiana, for Mike. There he worked in the cotton fields and with the farm stock. “Mike is about 19 years older than I am,” Jeff says. “He became a huge mentor in my life. He and his wife Sally have always included us in their family activities and lives. To this day, they are still big parts of our lives.”

Love and Marriage

On the very first day of school when he enrolled at Riverfield Academy, Jeff was walking on campus with some friends and saw a girl walking toward the gym. He laughingly told his friends that someday he was going to marry that girl. Jeff did just that. That girl was Marty Hill, and she was a 9th grader. The two began dating shortly thereafter and married in 1992. This past August they celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary.

When Jeff was a child and until well into his adolescence, he wanted to be a teacher and a coach. He enrolled at Northeast Louisiana University (now ULM) and graduated in 1996 after earning a bachelor’s degree in English with a history minor. Marty also graduated from NLU earning an early education degree. With degree in hand, Jeff began teaching and coaching at Riverfield Academy in 1996. Marty began teaching at Rayville Elementary in 1997.

In June 1996, Jeff and Marty welcomed the birth of their first child. Their daughter, Hillary Noble, was the first grandchild on either side of their families so she was heartily welcomed. In late October of that year, they noticed that Hillary’s eye was twitching back and forth. They took her to St. Francis Medical Center where doctors discovered that their child had a brain tumor. Hillary had surgery on November 4th, and passed away on November 6th.

The shock and sadness were devastating, but their faith sustained them. Both Jeff and Marty were heavily involved in the Start Baptist Church. When they were dating, both were active with the youth group there. Two members of the church – Don and Sherry Parker – greatly influenced the young couple. “They taught us all about the Lord and the Bible, and they took us on trips and planned so many activities for us,” Jeff says. “More than anything, they listened to us and they loved us when we needed it most. Both Don and Sherry still go to Start Baptist Church, and they are still my mentors today!”

A Career Finds Jeff

In 2001 both Marty and Jeff began working at Ouachita Christian School. Marty taught kindergarten several years and then began teaching 2nd grade. Jeff taught high school English and coached the boys’ basketball team. Although he had served as youth pastor at Start Baptist church from 1993-1996 and then periodically when needed for another decade, Jeff readily admits that his focus was coaching basketball.

All of that changed when Jeff gave himself over to a career in the ministry in 2009. He earned his Master’s in Biblical Studies from Louisiana College. He became the associate pastor at Start Baptist Church and in 2012 became the lead pastor there. Jeff credits much of his success in the pulpit to Bro. Jeff Smart, his pastor and mentor for many years, and Dr. Argile Smith, his lead professor at Louisiana College. “Dr. Smith really taught me so much about the Bible,” Jeff says, “but he also taught me about being a pastor and ministering to people.”

Over time, Marty and Jeff had four children – two sons and two daughters. Their second born was daughter Francie who lives in Dallas where she works for Origin Bank. Their first son Jacob lives in Ruston and works for Louisiana Tech University. Daughter Katie attends Cloyd’s Beauty School in West Monroe, and their youngest son Jonah is a high school junior with Richland Virtual Academy. 

A Rotator Cuff Opens Doors

Seven years ago, Jeff underwent rotator cuff surgery. His surgeon advised him to start running to get some exercise. Jeff began by running a mile a day. Later he started running 5K races and really enjoyed it. Jeff was gradual in his running and added a few 10K races. When he ran a few half marathons, he was hooked. Jeff’s son was a student at LA Tech and asked his dad to run a 5K to raise money for St. Jude. That was the beginning of Jeff’s serious running career to raise funds for others.

Jeff’s first marathon was the Twin City Marathon Monroe/West Monroe and was run on November 6, 2022. That was the same day that Hillary had died 26 years earlier. Jeff ran 26.2 miles that day in her honor. The money that he paid and raised for the Willpower Foundation benefitting St. Jude lit a spark. Although initially after running that race he believed that he would never run that distance again, that changed when someone at St. Jude found out about his running for Hillary. Jeff was invited to run the St. Jude/Rock ’n Roll Marathon in Nashville, Tennessee. He ran then and he has never stopped running. 

Jeff runs most of his races as a St. Jude Hero. When he was trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon, he missed the qualifying time by 7 minutes. Jessica Casale and Jennifer DePalma with St. Jude suggested that he apply to be a St. Jude Hero. There are only 5 spots available on the St. Jude Team in the Boston Marathon and those are selected from literally thousands of applications. In spite of the odds, Jeff applied and then went through the interview process. The deadline to be notified was November 1st but Jeff heard nothing. “Then on Wednesday, November 6 (Hillary’s death date), I got a phone call from Jessica and Whitney (my two St. Jude reps) telling me congratulations on being selected for the 2025 Boston Marathon St. Jude Team!” Jeff remembers. “Again, November 6th!” Jeff says that for years that was a day that he dreaded and called “death day.” Over the past few years, he believes that God has redeemed that day for him through his running to help others – transforming it into what he now calls a “life day.”  

To date he has run three of the world major marathons including the New York, Chicago, and Boston marathons. This year he will be running in 3 other world majors – the Tokyo Marathon, London Marathon, and the Berlin Marathon. Locally he is part of a group of runners who call themselves the NELA Road Warriors. Several of them ran the St. Jude Memphis Marathon with Jeff in 2025. Their team raised over $26,000 for St. Jude and their goal is to double that in 2026.

Family and Faith – Bedrocks

Throughout the years Jeff and Marty have experienced the challenges and rewards that life brings. Jeff’s father passed away when he was only 42-years old. The couple lost their daughter Hillary. Marty’s parents, Dock and Trudy Hill, both died of cancer several years ago. Jeff says, “Marty’s parents always treated me like I was their son, not son-in-law. Her sister Leah Hill Erikson and husband George Erikson have been such a blessing to us as well, and they have been huge encouragers in my running journey!” 

Right before Christmas in 2023, Marty was diagnosed with breast cancer. As at all times before, the two trusted God. Marty was successfully treated at Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge. “She is now cancer free, and we still make trips every six months to the Woman’s Hospital for checkups, but my wife is a cancer survivor!” Jeff says. “All praise be to God!  She has always been a quiet fighter, and she is the best of us!”

Jeff’s “other family” is the family of believers at Start Baptist. He says his congregation is an incredible group who have taught him as much as he has taught them. Jeff is grateful for their patience and encouragement through the years that he has worked with them. The church has grown as has the Start community. “We are blessed with incredible deacons and Bible study teachers; our ministry teams serve the Lord by serving people with love and compassion,” Jeff says. “We have an incredible staff, as well.  We all work very well together, and we challenge each other to strive for deeper and stronger relationships with the Lord.”

Jeff and his congregation strive to connect, to love, and to serve.  As he explains, “We are connected to God and to one another; we love God by loving people; we serve God by serving people.”  Their purpose is admirable, and their faith is sustaining.

Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948) once wrote, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” That lesson is one that Jeff has learned as he has allowed serving others to become a central theme in his own life. The Start community – and all of us – are fortunate to have him working among us. For his dedication to service through his faith, Jeff Thomas is the January 2026 Bayou Icon.

As Jeff Thomas prepares for two major international marathons in 2026, he is running with a purpose—raising critical funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. His London Marathon goal is $10,000, with more than $4,800 already raised toward the May 1, 2026 deadline; donations can be made at fundraising.stjude.org/goto/jeffthomas-london2026. Jeff will also run the Berlin Marathon with a fundraising goal of $7,500 to be met by October 1, 2026, and contributions can be made at fundraising.stjude.org/goto/jeffthomas-berlin2026. Supporters may also search “St. Jude Hero” and enter Jeff Thomas’s name to donate to any of his races and help ensure families never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food.