My year of almosts: Another 2008 Miles of Hope

First of all, I usually save this stuff for the end.  It’s too important.  I handcycle for Team Hope For The Warriors.  I race, excuse me, participate, in marathons and half marathons whenever and wherever I can to raise money for and awareness of the needs of wounded warriors. ALL the money I raise goes to Hope For The Warriors.  They are an outstanding non-profit that looks out for our wounded heroes, particularly the seriously disabled.

I’m not a warrior.  I’m a grateful beneficiary of the freedom they protect.  Whether you find the antics of this crazy quadriplegic amusing, inspiring, or despicable, I ask only one thing.  Support my cause.  You can make donations one of two easy ways:

  1)  Visit my secure donation page:  2008 Miles of Hope donations
  2)  Download a donation form and mail it with a check (made payable to Hope For The Warriors) to the address on the form:  Donation form

Hope For The Warriors is a responsible charity

Hope For the Warriors is Designated “Best in America” by the Independent Charities of America

Hope For the Warriors is Accredited by the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance

Rocking and Rolling in Virginia Beach 9.5.2010

The summer of 2010 was blistering.  Every time there was a break in the heat it was always too brief and too small of a break to cool down enough to do any good. I shifted my work schedule to go in to work an hour later and started using the extra hour in the AM to do a 10K workout in the neighborhood.  That has been the majority of my training during the warmer months.

At work, a group of runners started doing some running on Saturday mornings.  Some of the runners are going to do the Marine Corps Marathon in October.  In April we ran the Run For The Warriors in Jacksonville, NC.  This year it was the 5^th anniversary event and it did not disappoint.  It featured a half marathon for the first time and the whole event was hugely successful. 

In July, my teammate and I took part in the Beaufort Road Race.  While that race is guaranteed to be hot, it always seems that with a few pounds of ice hanging around my neck, I am able to crank out a respectable (for me) 10K.  In recent weeks we have been getting more frequent cool nights.  While the daytime highs have still been running up around 90 degrees, my AM 10Ks have become more productive (and bearable).  Temperatures at Atlantic Beach have been running a little cooler making some distance rides possible with an early (sunrise) start.

I felt pretty good going into the Rock ‘n’ Roll.  You can always use more training, but for the opportunities I’ve had, I think I’ve made the most of them.  This year, my teammate was running it for the second time.  T- was joining us for her 5^th running of the RnR Half.  Other family members that normally join us were unable to be there as support crew this year, for various reasons.  It all went well nonetheless.

Saturday before the race we visited the Dismal Swamp Trail for a training run.  I did sixteen miles out and back.  My Teammate did a 3 mile run and hopped on her bike and rode out to join me.  I was nailing some 7-minute miles for about the first 5 or so then I ran out of shade.  The heat started building up in me and from about mile 8 back it was pretty slow.  So naturally the heat was the big thing that weighed on my mind for Sunday’s race.

Saturday evening we met up with T- and her training partner M- and had a great pasta dinner at Federico’s restaurant in Virginia Beach.  My teammate has made it clear on occasions that she’s not crazy about running.  I think we both do it for the pasta.  My problem is that a pasta dinner gives me a lot of energy—all night long.  I tend to be wide awake the night before a race.  At 0400, we got up, had a quick bite and headed downtown.  As an athlete with a disability, I had a pass to park at the convention center.  We were right at the starting line. 

We got me on my handbike and ready to go. I did a few laps in the parking lot and hare felt pretty good.  I had my normal energy regimen before the race—a Snickers bar and a Powerade with an Advocare Spark.  I was pumped and ready to roll.

This year I opted to start with the other handcycles and wheelchairs up front with a ten minute head start.  WHAT A DIFFERENCE that makes!  In previous years I seeded into the corrals with T- or my teammate to run with them.  This year, my teammate had progressed in her running to the point that I felt she was good to rock the beach on her own.  It was a great feeling to get down the street without being bogged down on the downhills.  I even made it to the top of the Rudee bridge before runners passed me.  That meant I could power down the bridge as fast as I could go.  Wow!

When the elite women passed in a tight little clump just south of the bridge, I moved over but soon I felt like I was holding back.  I was on a slight downhill so I added some umph and soon I was drafting their little group.  I still felt like I could go harder and soon I was passing the elite ladies.  I said to myself, “This is stupid.  You’re going to run out of gas and then you’ll be in their way.”  Without the benefit of a draft or downhill, I muscled ahead far enough to move over and let them pass by again to be out of their way and to be off their mind.

The early start meant that people were constantly passing me instead of the other way around.  I’ve always said that it’s easier for runners to pass wheelers than for us to pass runners.  The other thing that is nice about wheeling the front of the runners is that those folks don’t use ipods!  What a joy to run with folks who can hear!  The elite men passed just before I went into Camp Pendleton. The heat wasn’t yet vexing me and I was getting the water table volunteers to throw a cup into my face at each table.  So far that kept me cool.  The only trick was figuring out who has water and who had energy drinks.  I didn’t want a Gatorade shower!

Just as I reached the bridge on my return leg, I met my teammate on her outbound leg.  She was looking great!  I was elated to know that she was going to nail a second half marathon.  She won’t let me say her age, but she makes a clear example that it’s never too late to start running unless you wait until you can’t.  Going down the bridge wasn’t the speed blast the outbound trip had been.  There were too many people on the course with me by now and I don’t want to be the cause of spoiling the experience for any of them.  My rule:  Wheels yield to heels.

The trip to the finish line was the fun part of the course where the crowds line the streets and the boardwalk.  I upheld my “penguin” finish legacy with a fist in the air. 

My finish was 1:50; my teammates was 2:44, almost 15 minutes better than her previous; and T- knocked out hers in 2:50, a little off from last year.  All in all a great day, no bike problems and we got ‘er done before the heat steam-rolled me.

The Marine Corps Half Marathon 9.25.2010

The Marine Corps Half Marathon has to be my favorite half marathon course.  Many people confuse the name with the Marine Corps Historic Half in Fredricksburg VA, in May.  This one is held at Camp Lejeune, NC.  It’s part of the Marine Corps Grand Prix series of events.  It’s not frilly.  It’s not a big race in terms of attendance.  But it’s like Goldilocks said, “This one fits me just right.”  The base is scenic and the course winds through some of the best parts, including a long stretch with beautiful sweeping views of the New River and stretches that run long and straight through the golf course and through beautiful Carolina pine forests.

For me it is always one of my faster races. It’s reasonably flat.  Many of the Marines who take part have recently returned home from deployments and have been training in places where people shoot at them.  Many spouses take part and many military and civilians alike run in memory of friends who didn’t make it home alive.  For me and others, as well, it just seems you run faster when there are Marines chasing you.

For my part, I had been in touch with RA, a wounded warrior who had recently started handcycling.  His TBI induced a bit of vertigo that made it difficult to stand upright and run.  The handbike was a great solution for him. I gave him a few race strategy tips about drafting and chasing and although it was his first race, he did quite well until a mis-adjusted derailleur caused him to throw a chain.  Nonetheless, he had a great time and now he’s hooked too.

My mentor, David Swaim was there, too.  No doubt who won the wheelers division.  BN was also there.  I have done several races with him since the CC half in Feb.  Combat Correspondent Cpl. Jo Jones took some great pictures and even published a nice piece about us.

Neuse River Bridge Run 10.16.2010

I’ve called this my year of almosts.  I’ve almost reached each goal I’ve set.  Finally, I think I found what’s been holding me back.  Several days prior to the NRBR, Hare broke on me in a most noticeable manner.  The coaster brake began to drag.  When I think back, I think this is not new.  I think it has been an off and on problem for months.  The prior weekend when my teammate ran the Twin Bridges 8K, I opted to ride down Bogue Banks for a distance training ride.  During several stretches, it seemed like Hare was holding me back painfully.  Ironically, during my weekday morning 10Ks with Tortoise, it seems like my speeds were closing in on Hare’s with a 50 pound heavier bike.  I took Hare to my local bike shop guy, at Bike Depot, and he heroically got the bike running again in time for the NRBR race.  He did caveat his work by saying that he was only able to get things back together without it dragging.  It wasn’t fixed; the brake needed to be replaced.  I had been making all kinds of contingency plans, like using Tortoise in the race.  Now I could go ahead and go with Hare.  Yee ha!

This year the Neuse River Bridge Run featured a half marathon.  It featured the new Alfred Cunningham Bridge.  Since the race starts and ends downtown New Bern, this year it crosses three bridges.  This year also, four other members of Team Hope For The Warriors rolled across the starting line with me.  My teammate was also out to run her third half.

In the upcoming NYC Marathon I will be accompanied by guides provided by the Achilles Track Club.  At the NRBR, I got a taste of guiding first-hand.  As usual, I was the last place handbike finisher.  But it was an amazing ride.  Just past the start I came up on Matt Bradford and his guide.  Matt is a blind double amputee that has handbiked the MCM last year and the New York Tunnel to Tower race.  He was having a little difficulty coordinating with his guide so I volunteered to help out (if I could).

Matt may not have sight, but there is nothing wrong with his arms.  I had trouble keeping up with Matt.  That created a problem for Matt because when he got ahead of me, he didn't know I wasn't there.  Everything was going OK until he got to the top of the bridge (actually I mostly chased Matt; his guide did most of the work).  If you've ever ridden a bike on a busy highway, you know how noisy traffic can be.  Now picture this.  You're riding on that busy highway, with your eyes closed.  The deafening roar of traffic zooming by you is unnerving.  Your only guidance comes from your assistants yelling, "right, left, etc."  You don't know how close those cars are.

By the time the three of us got to Pembroke Road and got off the highway, about mile three, Matt's nerves were shot.  He was ready to abort.  I told him he could go left and continue on the half marathon or right and return on the 10K course.  Either way I'd hang with him.  If he wanted to abort and get a ride back, I was going on to finish the half.  The rest of the course was mixed in residential traffic.  The only coned-off area was a narrow area on the side of the street.  We could not have guided him that accurately.  The course was just not good for Matt and he eventually made the choice at about mile 3 that he would DNF.  Though he couldn't see he had more vision than the rest.  The course was just not right for him.

Matt moved on over to a safe spot and waited for a pick-up.  I went on.  I hope he never felt like he failed.  One of our toughest endeavors in life is to know your own limitations and then to find a way to excel within that envelope.  Matt completed more in three miles than anyone else in the entire 13.1.

About mile 4 through 8 I had an immense amount of difficulty cranking.  The coaster brake acted up again and it began dragging.  It was really bogging me down for a while and then it would go away, only to act up later.  Most of the runners were gone by now.  I was one of the last stragglers.

My teammate was having a great run, on the other hand.  She ended up with 2:26 finish, a PR, almost twenty minutes off her previous best, and a win in her age bracket.  Way to go, teammate!  A TV reporter did a very nice piece on Team Hope For The Warriors.  Watch it here.

Tortoise takes one for the team: Back to Back Half Centuries 10.23-24.2010

By now I’m sweating the upcoming MCM.  My bike shop guy was looking for the brake part I needed.  Apparently Shimano doesn’t make it anymore.  The only option left was to tear down Tortoise and take its hub and use it to rebuild the wheel on Hare.  By Friday, 10.22.2010, another bike shop guy that I was new to had rebuilt Hare’s drive wheel using Tortoise’s hub.  I also ordered a new 8 speed hub for Tortoise.  It would be in Monday.

Saturday, 10.22.2010, I set out to ride hard and long.  My objective was to ride 50 miles or so to prove to myself I was ready for two hilly Marathons on back-to-back weekends.  I set forth a fueling strategy of around 100 calories per hour to keep away the bonking problems I had suffered so frequently during the summer.

All I can say is it felt great.  I had as much energy the last ten miles as I did the first ten.  The hub transplant from Tortoise made Hare a new machine.  I felt great.  Now, can I repeat it?

The following Sunday I set up a tougher course profile for myself.  Although we got a late start, I got in 48 miles before it began getting too dark.  I crossed the Atlantic Beach Bridge on the outbound leg.  I traveled to Fort Macon and then to Emerald Isle and back.  While we were riding at EI, One Leg Dan passed us and stopped to greet us.  He got out his stand-up bike, clipped his prosthesis into this pedal and he rode with us for five miles or so.  That was an inspiration!  We rode on back to Atlantic Beach and there, I cranked Hare up my test hill.  I call it Mt. Suribachi because it is the same grade as the final hill in the MCM: 14%.  There was not a problem with me nor Hare.  We rode back across the AB Bridge and though I was two miles short of my goal of 50, it was dark.  There was no doubt in my mind I could go another twenty.  So, am I ready?

Another 2008 Miles of Hope

This year my goals in support of Hope For The Warriors are again three:

1)  Hope:  The Marine Corps Marathon, The New York City Marathon, and the OBX Marathon; two and a half marathons in fifteen days again this year.  Watch for my MCM 2010 race report to be posted soon.

2)  Inspiration:  Handbiking over 2008 miles in racing, training, and fundraising events to raise money for and awareness of the needs of wounded warriors and their families.

3)  A Promise:  Complete my fundraising goal of $26,200 in donations benefiting Hope For The Warriors.

And yes, I'm ready!
LetsRoll!

-Be careful who you inspire; inspiration is contagious!

Sooooo Close!

Shamrock Marathon 03.21.2010
Sunday morning I commented to my teammate that I don’t think we have ever been more ready for a race than we were for this one. I had gotten in some good workouts in the past week. We had a nice pasta dinner the night before with my friend David Swaim. Our spirits were bouyed by great runs in the 8K on Saturday. The weather had held up to the forecasts so we had brought the right clothes. And most importantly, I don’t think we forgot anything.

We stayed in a hotel only a few blocks from the starting line. When we checked in they offered us a free room upgrade as priority reward members. I declined because we had reserved one of their few rooms with a wheelchair shower. When my teammate checked out our room, it turned out they had assigned us a room without the roll-in shower. The only roll-in they had left was a suite that had to be the most spacious in the building. The room spanned the entire end of the building and overlooked the ocean from a balcony. So we got a free upgrade anyway!

At about 7:30 or so Sunday morning I made my way to the starting line. There was David Swaim. He must sleep at the starting line. I’ve never been to a race early enough to beat him to the start. There was also B- whom I recently met at the Crystal Coast Half. He lives in my county and is an avid handcyclist. Small world. Including a young man I met the day before at our hotel there would be four handcyclists, a Team Hoyt runner, AND a blind runner..

Beating 4 hours was my goal. I’ve done it twice but the last time was more than a year ago. I was feeling up to the challenge.

The weather was slightly chilly at that time of the day but otherwise absolutely perfect. I had added an extra shirt at the last minute. I somehow knew that would be too much. There was a slight headwind when we started the race. The others were gone in a flash when we started south through downtown Virginia Beach. At the Rudee Inlet Bridge, the runners had already overtaken me and Charlie stopped to wish me luck.

All the runners were taking the left lane. That made the right lane open for me. That was a good thing on the downhill side. It was not going to be a good thing in a few minutes when the faster handcyclists returned and needed the lane full of runners for their return.

I made my out and back through Camp Pendleton in an OK time at least to beat the 4 hour benchmark I had set for myself. The runners were great with their support and so far only a few iPod zombies wouldn’t get out of the way. The other handcyclists were having bigger problems, however.

On their return to the Rudee Bridge, the entire lane closest to the ocean was filled with outbound runners who were supposed to be in the lane on their right. Despite his shouts of warning, David collided with one runner and he wiped out, leaving a layer of his skin on the pavement. Despite his disaster, he went on to win the crank division.

I, on the other hand, continued my grind northward to defend my last-place crank division title. The extra layer I had donned just before the start was starting to make me a bit warm as the sun got a little higher.

The “slight” headwind at the start had freshened to a nice breeze behind me as I headed north along the Boardwalk. One of the spectators with a camera in front of his face called my name as I passed. I didn’t pay much attention since our names were on our bib numbers. Turned out he was a coworker from my office and neither of us knew to expect each other.

I saw my teammate with her bicycle along the Boardwalk where she snapped a few pictures. I met her again just before mile 13 where she helped me come out of a few layers to cool down. I refueled with a Snickers and an energy drink and got back in the race. At the half, my time was about 1:57. My 4 hour goal was still in my grasp.

The northbound lane to Fort Story was congested as all the outbound runners were squeezed into one lane and the elite marathoners and the slower half-marathoners mixed it up in the other lane. Once past the Fort Story main gate the congestion eased up along Shore Drive. However the many curves with their cross-grade bogged me down somewhat. Through this stretch, all the runners offered each other good support. A few DJs played music from their vehicles WAY too loud.

Once in Fort Story at the north gate I expected things to pick up. It was not to happen. I was beginning to get tired and the “breeze” I had enjoyed on the Boardwalk was now about a 20-25 mph headwind. At the main gate I was able to rendezvous with my teammate and refuel again with a Gu and a Red Bull. For the rest of the course back to the finish my pace slowly eroded as several pace groups passed me.

I got a little burst of speed toward the end and started making up some time during the last mile. I knew it was getting toward 4 hours. I drafted some runners to get some relief from the windy blast on the Boardwalk.

I finished with an official time of 4:00:47, successfully defending my last place crankchair title. I honestly don’t know where I would have made up the 47 seconds unless I had started out without the extra shirt or if I had drafted some of the runners along the return stretch. On the bright side, I finished 30th among 140 Whalers. All in all it was a good race, a good day, and my Shamrock PR.

For anyone wishing to do the Shamrock, it’s a good run, mostly flat. It’s a good course for wheelers. They offer good schwag (although I’ve never gotten any Irish stew at the end because you have to go down to the beach to get it). The caps they give the finishers are nice trophies you can wear year round. This year they had a great idea of giving the finishers a long-sleeve t-shirt you can actually wear and keep instead of the space blankets that end up discarded on the streets.

Hope For The Warriors

If you have followed this blog you know that I raise money for Hope For The Warriors as a charity runner. This year, the Shamrock is the first marathon I completed of five I had planned this year. I became too sick to start the Miami and the Myrtle Beach was canceled due to snow. I plan to complete the Marine Corps Marathon and the New York City Marathon this fall.

Hope For The Warriors was founded by a handful of eastern North Carolina military spouses with the vision to provide a measure of hope for the wounded victims of the post-9-11 wars; hope beyond recovery, particularly for the severely disabled. Their cause has grown to national proportions in the past few years as they have provided aid and relief to service men and women and their families in terms of Direct Needs, Warrior Wishes, Caregiver Scholarships, Hope and Morale and many other inspiring programs. Download and read the inspiring accomplishments from last year alone:

4 Seasons of Hope

Hope, Inspiration, and a Promise

I call my fundraising campaign 2008 Miles of Hope. It’s an honor for me to dedicate my training and my races to the brave men and women who have sacrificed in the name of our freedom. Join me and follow this blog as I fulfill my three goals I call Hope, Inspiration and a Promise.

1. Hope:
I plan to complete the Marine Corps Marathon as part of Team Hope For the Warriors for my third straight year.

2. Inspiration:
Also for the third straight year, I plan to handcycle over 2008 miles in training, races, and fundraising events to raise awareness of, and money for Hope For The Warriors and their mission.

3. A Promise:
I plan to fulfill my pledge to raise $26,200 ($1,000 for every mile in a marathon) for Hope For The Warriors. This is where you can join me.

Join me and thousands of other grateful Americans by honoring our wounded warriors with a tax-deductible donation to Hope For The Warriors. You have two easy ways to donate. If you prefer to use a credit card, you can donate online using my secure donation page at

2008 Miles of Hope

If you prefer to write a check, download a donation form and mail your donation to the address on the form.

Donation Form

Learn more about Hope For The Warriors at http://www.hopeforthewarriors.org/.

And join us at the 5th Annual Run For The Warriors May 15, 2010, in Jacksonville, NC.

-LetsRoll!

Teammate ROCKS Virginia Beach!

09.06.2009

It’s been a while since I have posted a blog but well, “it’s been a toim,” as they say in down east Carteret County. We have been busy with the Shamrock Marathon and 8K and the Cherry Point Half Marathon in March, the Dismal Swamp Stomp Half Marathon and the Lookout Rotary 10K in April, the Run for the Warriors 10K in May, and the Beaufort Road Race 10K in July. My training was lagging in the spring. I was plagued by disappointing races until I discovered a problem with my handbike after the Shamrock.

I found one of the lateral supports that holds my trunk centered in my seat was out of adjustment. I was literally hanging out the side of my seat. When we corrected the problem I did a great job in the Cherry Point half and had some amazing workouts subsequently. After the Run For The Warriors, the spring races were behind me and I put the handbike in the shop for some needed repairs. Unfortunately that killed my workouts for about three weeks.

I found myself playing catch up to get back in shape for the Beaufort Road Race during the heat of the summer. In August I was able to increase my training tempo to about 80 miles per week by working out in the dark and by dousing myself with tons of ice and icewater during my daylight workouts. I’ve become pretty familiar with the sunrise recently. I knew I was pretty much ready for the Rock ‘n’ Roll half last week when I did my fastest climb yet up the Atlantic Beach Bridge.



July brought good news when the Achilles Track Club gave me a seed in the New York City Marathon. Yeah, I’m in! In August my teammate and I drove to New York to recon the course. Five boroughs, five bridges, many hills, and a gazillion potholes are going to make the NYC my biggest challenge yet. I think the folks that paved the Wilson Bridge are the same ones that paved the surface of the moon.

Every weekend an inspiration

I say that one has only to open one’s eyes to be inspired. So it has been for me with my teammate’s running. Last year she trained for the Rock ‘n’ Roll but had to forgo her entry when she missed about six weeks of training because of a leg ailment. This year, she began increasing her distance to run 10Ks in the Lookout Rotary Spring Road Race, the Run For The Warriors, and the Beaufort Road Race. She regularly ran the Beach Run Series while I worked out on the AB Bridge.

Early in the summer she built her stamina to run ten miles on weekends. She kept up a brutal training regimen in the heat of July and August. She was clearly going to be ready for her first half marathon at this year’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Half. This event has become a family favorite for us. My niece, T- and I have run the race together the last two years. My teammate has been an active participant and supporter. She would leapfrog along the course on her bike to meet us with energy drinks, food, ice, and camera support. This year she was out there on the course.

A close one

We were sweating it out the last days before the race. While I thought she was registered last fall, I checked her registration several times to confirm that I had registered her. It turns out that I was actually looking at last year’s registration. I had never registered her. When I broke the news to her, I wasn’t sure if she was going to do cartwheels in elation or hang me in disgust. In the end we were able to register her at the expo and everything was OK.

I had secretly invited the sons and the grandkids. They wanted to surprise her but on Saturday all the phone calls were making her suspicious. When finally she demanded to know, “Who was that?” I had to fess up, “That’s your cheering squad!” The kids were hiding outside the motel door.

Race morning we were up at 3:45 and off to downtown VA Beach. I had the choice of starting with the other wheelers or seeding in with my Teammate in corral 21. I wanted to be with her to enjoy her finish so I chose to do the race with her.



I saw my friends David Swaim and One Leg Dan at the start.



As we made our way back through the corrals, we found T- and her friend MO.





A running machine

She had trained at about a 13 minute pace during the summer. I was afraid by rolling with her I’d be making my teammate run too fast. But throughout the race she was consistently nailing 12-minute miles. I think the cooler weather was giving her an extra boost. With a few bathroom stops and a couple of walking breaks, she averaged a 13-minute pace, finishing in 2:49.



To put that in perspective, of about 16000 finishers, there were only 104 women in her age bracket. Of those 104, she finished 37th. Not bad for grandma! There are not many women her age that can do what she did. I told her sons, 40 and 42, "It’s official, your mom can outrun you both!"

Hope For The Warriors

Hope For The Warriors was an official charity partner with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon this year. One of the runners spotlighted in the official race program was a Team Hope For The Warriors runner. We met another Team runner in our corral and I ran into her several times on the course. Throughout the race people saw the Hope For The Warriors placard on my handbike and shouted in support. Many said things like, “Thank you for what you’re doing!” For my teammate and I, it is an honor to represent Hope For The Warriors and raise money for their great programs.

I’m handbiking 2008 miles in training, races, and fundraising events again this year. I plan to complete back-to-back marathons, the Marine Corps Marathon and the New York City Marathon this year. And I continue with my goal of raising $26.2 thousand for Hope For The Warriors.

So far, we have brought in $18,000. Grateful Americans across this great nation have been overwhelmingly generous and supportive of our cause. Your support is needed, too. Please visit our secure donation site and make an online donation.

2008 Miles of Hope

Or download our donation form and send it with a check to the address on the form.

Donation form.pdf

Please show your gratitude for the service and the sacrifice of our wounded warriors. Read about the programs offered by Hope For The Warriors. Make a donation.

They sacrificed selflessly for your freedom.

Thrice Honored

How can you beat the experience of finishing third in your division in a home-town half marathon, when by all, rights with a severe disability, you should be a shut-in?

How about by getting to take part in that race beside some world-class disabled athletes who are Marine Veterans? Well then how do you top that experience?

How about to be escorted through the race by bicycle escorts who are wounded warriors on their road to recovery?

Crystal Coast Half Marathon

This year it rained again. This year, too, the rain was no match for the spirits of the Crystal Coast Half Marathoners. Like last year the temperature was mild. Unlike last year, the winds were mild too.

I had made a desperate attempt to get in some decent workouts in the past few weeks. The weather and my schedule keep fighting me. I need to quit whining. I get out there as much as I can and that’s about it. It’s just not as much as I wish.

Last fall I emailed Butch Robertson, the race director about participating this year. He wrote back a few weeks ago and said to invite some other athletes. So after the Myrtle Beach I wrote to OneLegDan and David Swaim. I had no idea they would be interested in coming down to Morehead City. Lo and behold they did come. Yee-ha! We’re going to have a wheelchair division this year!

OneLegDan was wounded in Viet Nam and later lost a leg in a motorcycle wreck. He’s an all around great guy. His wife, D- and he travel all around the world racing in marathons for the Achilles Track Club’s Freedom team of disabled veterans.

David was a Cherry Point Marine during Viet Nam and is a low-level paraplegic with a non—service related disability. Now this part of the story illustrates how one person can change the destiny of another’s life. During his recovery, a PT took an interest in him and recognized that his restless energy could be constructively channeled into sports. She got him interested in wheelchair racing. The rest is history. Not only did he marry that girl, but he went on to train to become a world–class athlete. He has won the Marine Corps Marathon, the Shamrock, the Myrtle Beach Marathon, the Rock n Roll Half and many more races that I don’t even know about.

To put it in perspective, on a good day, I grind out 8-minute miles. My PR for a half is almost a 7-minute pace. The word I heard most associated with his CC Half performance was “rocket.” He trashed that course, complete with an eighty-foot bridge with a 3-fifty something pace! Here is a picture of him in the Myrtle Beach Marathon returning to earth from a light speed journey through the town.

Photo by Steve Jessmore sjessmore@thesunnews.com–The Sun News

Marines to the assist

In a later email from Butch, he asked me to arrange for some bicycle escorts for the chairs. With little time left before the race and very little time in my schedule, I emailed some local athletes to see if they wished to ride bikes as escorts. While they couldn’t they passed my request on to others. I got CWO G-, a Marine from Cherry Point, and BC, a banker in Morehead City.

I also got in contact with BG, a cycling coach for the Wounded Warrior Battalion-Det. East. BG couldn’t ride because he was running. He did, however get two civilian members of his Window Gang bike team to volunteer, BS and PJ. BG also got 4 volunteers that he coaches at the WW Bn-E. Sgt. T-, Capt. E-, LCpl. D-, and CWO R- all turned out to volunteer to escort the wheelchair division in the race.

Having 8 escorts for 3 chairs, I knew, would make things a lot easier AND safer. Right away Dan and David hit it off with their escorts. T-, who had been literally blown apart by a suicide bomber listened intently as OneLegDan described his encounter with a ’Bouncing Betty.’

Butch came up with a scheme for starting the wheelers so as to minimize the interaction between the runners and the wheelers. He started me about 2 minutes earlier than David and OneLegDan and then started the runners almost immediately afterward. I don’t know how the timer kept track of all that.

The race

We launched out in the rain Saturday morning with Capt. E- and LCpl. D- beside me. For a few brief seconds, I was in front of David Swaim in a race for the first time ever. It really was no race for although I was a few blocks ahead of David, I soon heard the shouts from the rear, “ON THE LEFT!” In a blink, this blue flash rocketed by.

I shouted “Go David!” and he was gone in a blink. Bicyclists CWO R-, BC, BS, and PJ were around him. I’m not sure if they weren’t struggling to keep up. OneLegDan zipped past a few minutes later with Sgt T- and CWO G.

The lead runners came racing by a few second later. They were looking strong. I think that all these fast folks blasting past me gave me a bit of a mental boost because I was cranking pretty hard. I think my last few workouts on the AB bridge were paying off.

After two loops around downtown Morehead City at a pretty good speed (for me, anyway) we took off toward the AB Bridge. I got into my lowest gears and cranked continuously all the way up. I normally have to stop several times but today I could keep going. I had communicated my plan for crossing the bridge to my escorts. Basically the same idea I used at OBX; it worked well today. On the uphill, they dismounted and walked behind me. On the downhill, they wend 30-50 yards in front to warn the runners to move over.

Just as I peaked the bridge about mile 6, I think, I saw a police car and then saw David’s escorts as he was returning. Man, he was flying!

My trip down the AB side of the bridge top out at about 22 mph. The escorts were great. There was no problem with other runners. Everything was going well At the bottom of the bridge I hit a bump and the bracket that holds my race number on my bike fell off. When I caught back up with LCpl D-, I asked him if he would mind going back to get it.

Capt. E- and I pressed on toward Fort Macon. The other runners were great. I was passing most of them by now. They were the folks that passed me on the uphill side of the bridge. My coworker D- was one of them. I met OneLegDan on the return. He and his escorts seemed to be having a great time.

The runners were offering great support. I was having a good time and shouted encouragement to them too. As we approach the turn around I told my escorts I may need the whole road to turn around so watch for traffic and be prepared to warn cars on the other side. On the trip back I got to see the “rest of the pack,” the runners behind me and I could see them face to face. Even after eight miles or so everyone was all smiles and the spirit was high.

Again I was surprised at my energy level on the second bridge climb. I think the excitement of race day had me stoked. I coasted down the Morehead City side of the bridge while the bikers made sure folks were aware I was passing. I think I hit 27 mph on the return.

David and OneLegDan were waiting at the finish. We waited around for the awards.

Butch was very gracious and awarded all three of us an award. We also had another surprise. My teammate came in second in her division in the 5K! You go girl! My time was 1:52. In third place, I was a half hour better than last year. But then no gale winds this year. But to put my accomplishment into perspective, David Swaim the new course record holder, beat my time by over an hour!

So that was Saturday. Sunday the weather was rotten. Monday it snowed. Wednesday it was bitter cold. On Thursday we got a break and I went back to the AB Bridge to work out. I couldn’t even come close to the climb I had done on Saturday. Yesterday was Thursday and I got in a 13 mile ride over varied terrain. Again, I was no where near the level of my Saturday performance!

All in all it was a great weekend. I say I was honored three times. With my level of disability, to roll across the starting line is an honor in and of itself. To be associated with and start beside world class athletes and honorable veterans like David and OneLegDan is an honor can’t describe. But to be assisted in my humble endeavor by the very individuals I support with my 2008 Miles of Hope campaign, is going to be a memory and a source of pride that I will enjoy for many years.

Return the honor

So as you read these words, put our freedom into perspective with the lives of many people around the world. We take more freedom for granted than most people will ever know. The fact that we can take that freedom for granted makes me grateful to people like Sgt. T- who was blown up by a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest. And now as he recovers from his wounds, he volunteers his time to the community to make an event like this successful. It makes me grateful for people like LCpl. D-, who, while the truck in which he rode in the turret position drove over an IED that killed his comrades and shattered his legs. And yet he finds the time in his recovery to help folks like me and hundreds of others have a fun and safe race.

Remember our warriors like these and remember their sacrifices. It is because of their courage and their suffering that we sleep at night. Join me in my campaign to honor them with a contribution to Hope For The Warriors.

Donate today. You can easily make a donation to Hope For The Warriors by using our secure credit card donation site:

2008 Miles of Hope

Or donate by check. Download our donation form, fill it out, and send it to us with your donation to our address on the form:

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And learn about where the money goes: Hope For The Warriors


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