Royal Oak Father and Son Headed to Olympics Thanks to Hanson Brothers

On the same night Leonard Jackson earned his high school diploma he also received what may be one of the best graduation gifts ever—a trip to the Olympics.

For his hard work inside and outside of the classroom, was surprised with a ticket to the London games by Kevin and Keith Hanson, owners of in Royal Oak.

Leonard, , will travel to the Olympics with his father, Don Jackson. Don is the general manager of Hanson’s Running Shop and an assistant coach with the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project—the development program behind 29-year-old .

“They surprised me the night of my graduation,” Leonard said. “I’m really excited about going.”

It’s Leonard’s first trip to the Olympics; it’s Don second—he traveled with Olympic marathoner Brian Sell to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. Sell finished in 22nd place with a time of 2:16:7.

“We’re going to mainly support Desiree,” Don said. Davila, who races on Aug. 5, is struggling with a right hip flexor tendon injury.

“Whatever we can do to cheer her on and help her mentally stay on top we’ll do. It’s going to be great for her to gain some experience. It’s her first—but not last—Olympics,” he said.

The father and son plan to watch the London 2012 Olympic Women's Marathon  from a variety of spots. Marathon runners will pass landmarks such as the Tower of London, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and St. Paul’s Cathedral before finishing near the Victoria Memorial—breaking the tradition that the marathon end in the main Olympic Stadium.

When the Jacksons get back home, Leonard will jump right into his own running routine, training under Coach Das Campbell at Macomb County Community College. Leonard, who plans to run both cross country and track as a college freshman, will be the third Jackson to train under Campbell. Both parents, Don and Dela Jackson, were standout runners at Macomb.