Revenge Of The Fifth!

     It's been almost a month now and the Pittsburgh Marathon has come and gone.  The lead up to the race for me is always exciting, but the further away from it I get, the sadder I become.   I'm not sad in the sense that something is wrong or bothering me.  I'm sad because the experience is so rewarding that when you finally cross that finish line, it's hard to believe it's over.

     I'd be lying if I said this training cycle was easy.  It wasn't.  I had some rough days, and some rough weekends.  I've been running so much the past few years that halfway through my training I felt like I was getting burned out.  My legs were tired.  My focus was becoming blurred.  My goals were falling short.  But even with all of that, it still didn't stop me from getting to where I needed to go.  I took a day to think about why I still do this, and who I still do this for when I run.  I always have 26 reasons and this year was not any different.  But this year, the final two miles were two that I needed to finish more than any of the first 24.  So, I focused on that.  Soon after, I took a look at my training plan and adjusted it to the point where I could become more comfortable with what I wanted to do.  Then...I did it.

This is how my girl preps for a race!

My Polish Princess down the stretch!

     It's always hard to keep talking about training at times because you all already know what I do.  I make sure to eat properly, get the rest I need, get up early, and pound the pavement.  It's as simple as that.  But come race day, the flood of emotions pours into my mind and half the time I don't know how to control them.  I've gotten better at it, but I failed completely this year.  I had trouble sleeping for the first time in a long time, and I have no idea how much sleep I actually got.  All I remember is that it was 4am, and it was time to get ready to head to the city.

     When Edyta and I got  down town, we walked towards the Westin at the convention center.  My poor fiance had to listen to me talk about a mile a minute.  My nerves were a mess, and I was pretty much prancing around in a dress. This is no joke.  When I get nervous, I tend to prattle on more than normal and make as many bad jokes as possible.  Walking around in a dress just sorta added to the chaos.  But, God bless her heart.  She humored me and of course still wants to marry me, so I still got that going for me!

     When I arrived, there were plenty of laughs and plenty of "I'm not even going to ask"(s) as I went to grab some breakfast.  But, I am a man of my word, and there I was in dress and ready to run a marathon for the 5th time.  An hour or so later, it was time to head to the starting line.

     Edyta and I were able to meet up with our friends in order to say hello, give some well wishes and good lucks, take a few pictures, and then head to our corrals.  With a quick peck on the lips, I was off to mine.  What's weird is as many strange looks as I thought I would get for wearing a dress, I got none.  Most folks maybe saw the dedications on my back, where as I'm sure others figured it was just a guy running in costume.  I'm really not sure.  All I really knew that it was raining.  I was wearing a dress, and I had a job to do.  It was go time.

     The first hour or so was pretty rough because of the rain.  When it stopped, it started to get a bit humid.  Surprisingly, even in the stickiness of the air, the dress really did not factor into being a major deterrent from my ability to run.  I was getting pretty warm, I was able to move pretty good, and I had no major issues.  I thought to myself, "every time you hear 'hey what are you wearing under that dress?' I should have to take a drink."  I never heard that once.  Heck, I was actually a bit disappointed because there went every joke I thought I would get to use.  Running 26 miles takes quite a bit of time, so how am I going to distract myself if I can't crack jokes? But, then again, that was not really a good idea anyway because 26 miles would probably quickly turn into 52.  Dodged a bullet there!

     After the first six to eight miles, I was feeling pretty good and strong.  I wasn't really hot at all, and the dress was not really making things difficult for me at all.  The material it was made out almost seemed like a dry wick type material, so I maybe had something working in my favor.  But, as the rain would turn off an on, so would the humidity.  But, that still didn't stop me or slow me down at all.  I was fast approaching the Birmingham Bridge which is real close to the halfway point, and I was feeling pretty confident about pretty much everything.  But then the dreaded Forbes Avenue lay in front of me.  However, I took the same approach as I did last year, walking most of it to save energy, and I made it to the top.  I made it to the top, and I was soon in Shadyside and near mile marker 15.  It was right about there that I felt fatigue setting in.

     It was too early in the race for me to think this way, but it was.  Butt then I remembered something.  I looked at my wrist to a gift our friend Amy had given each of us, and something we were not allowed to open until that morning.  It was a little bracelet that said, "40 percent."  There was a story behind it that she shared as well, but the moral was, "even when you think you have nothing left to give, and that you have already given 100 percent, you actually still have 40 percent left in the tank."  (Or, something like that.)  That was what I needed to remember, and that was my mantra for the rest of the race.  Anytime I felt like I would falter I looked at my wrist and said 40 percent.  When I thought of my friends and my dedications I said to myself 40 percent.  It just made too much sense!  So, I kept going.


    I made it through miles 16 and 17, walking for a few clicks here and there, but I was soon approaching the dreaded wall.  And, not only that, but it started to rain and rain hard.  Maybe it was a wall of rain that I was truly hitting.  I didn't really prepare for the rain, and I was struggling with being able to see through my glasses.  In a matter of seconds I went from being OK with everything to just plain getting angry at everything.  I kept "MFing" the rain and wiping my glasses off so that I could see, but none of that really worked.  I even took them off like it would make things better, but I can't see anything without them and pretty much yelled at myself for it.  "Really dude????"  I was getting so irritated that I wanted to actually quit.  I kept clenching my fists, mumbling under my breath, and even wore a scowl on my face.  I didn't even care about my 40 percent.  Stupid rain!  But, I was now near mile 18 and I found my saving grace:  the Steel City Greyhounds!  In years past I always thought this was cool, but this year I told myself, "I'm running with one of those dogs."  So, I did, and it was glorious!  I just thought it was the coolest thing, and it was the perfect thing that I needed right at that moment.  I can't remember the dog's name, but I couldn't thank the pooch enough for making me smile when I needed it the most.

    After that  it was more rain, but the remaining miles grew fewer and fewer.  I took each mile with a simple approach.  "OK, that was 21 and you just need to get to 22,  After that only 3 more til you get to Phil's mile.  After that, it's Bernie's mile."  That seemed to do the trick because soon after every negative thought the had crossed my mind started to slowly leave and I soon found myself enjoying the rest of my run.  I was getting closer to the finish and I really wanted to honor my friends.  I began to smile again.  I also began to get choked up.   I then saw mile marker 24 and knew that this was it.  This was the final stretch.  "I just finished 24 miles of the marathon and it was time to run for both Phil and Bernie.  There was shots waiting for us, so let's do this."  One foot after the other and step by step I went.  The closer I got, the more my mind was flooded with the memories of my friends.  The more my memories flooded, the more I smiled.  The more I smiled, the more I cried.  It was a pretty good feeling.

     When I approached mile marker 25, the Steel City Road Runners where there in full force cheering on all runners.  They do a great job every year.  I was able to loan them some of my music equipment, and the closer I got the louder the music got.  At first I thought, "I hope they aren't blowing out my speaker!  I just got that one!"  And then I thought, "don't be a jerk Damn that sounds good!"  As soon as everyone saw me there cheers were thunderous!

"Chuck what do you need?"

"I need a shot of Fireball!"

"Someone get this man some fireball!"  My lord that was delicious!  One down, one to go.

     I came down the stretch and seeing the "Pit Crew" was a sight for sore eyes.  They were yelling so loud that I could here them even about 8 blocks down the street.  When I got there, Sara made sure there was plenty of Fireball to go around.  Bryan had some American Honey ready to roll.  I took one, and Bryan and I both did a toast to Bernie.  "Oh god that was terrible!"  Everyone got a good laugh and they all yelled at me to go finish.  I promised Bernie when I got to the end and that I would give it all I got, and I did.  I took off as fast as I could with what I had left, and that was enough.  As I ran down the shoot with my beer raised in the air, the crowed was there in support.  I heard a few friends yell at me as they saw me and it made me feel pretty good.  I cracked open my beer and like last year went all Stone Cold Steve Austin with it.  It sounded like the spectators got a big kick out of that, and if I didn't know any better, it sure sounded like it was Bernie yelling in my ear.  And with that, I finished my fifth marathon.

A toast for our dear friend Bernie Augier
He is missed every day.

     I've done this five times now, and each time the last 8 miles or so are always the hardest for me to finish.  When you are tired and fatigued, your mind starts to make you think you can't do it, and you shouldn't be doing it.  But, the simplest of things make you realize you can.  This year, it was a retired greyhound.  It was "40 percent."  It was Phil.  It was Bernie.

     I'm always amazed at what the human body can do.  However, I don't think it can do any of those things without a little help from the human spirit.  From the cheers of the crowd to the hugs and high fives of your friends, there is nothing that you cannot do.  Even if you think you can't, know that you truly can.  All it takes is one simple thing:  try.  All you have to do is try.  And even then, when you don't think you have it in you to keep going or to keep trying, remember you still have 40 percent.

Until next time Pittsburgh....keep on running.

Sinceriously Yours,

Chuck Hull
The Running Jedi

#26miles26dedications #runpgh #runningjedi #teamlemieux #hshive #runderfulruns

Me. Bernie, and Bryan
RIP Bernie

Not Phil's favorite hat.
RIP Phil

Now...enjoy some random pictures from race day!

The future Hulls with the Future Walkers!

April and Tom Hanahan coming down the stretch!

Amy and Carla coming down the stretch!

...still marrying me.

40 Percent

The most appropriate sign
for the marathon.  (it was actually up the
street and to the right.) Thanks Sara!

A shot for our friend Phil Tallentire.
RIP Phil

26 Miles, 26 Dedications - Chapter 5

     We're two months into our marathon training, and everyone seems to be doing quite well.  The normal pangs and worries are there for everyone, myself included.  After running the Spring Thaw 20 Miler I began to question my sanity like I always do.  "Am I really doing this again?  Why do I keep doing this to my body?  Seriously, what is wrong with me?"  Of course as with all questions, there are always answers.  "Yes, I really am doing this again.  Because I actually enjoy doing this or I'm just stupid.  Nothing is wrong with me because you're not just running for you...you're running for so much more."

     This year's Pittsburgh Marathon will be my 4th in the greatest city on the planet, and my fifth overall.  I'm not sure why I finally decided to run a marathon, but I do know why I decided to run for charity, and why I keep on doing so.  It's been very apparent that life is short, no matter how many years we may live, and maybe more so now to me than it ever had been before.  We only  get one crack at it, and over the course of our lives we'll make a lot of choices.  Some of those choice will of course be mistakes, but that's a part of being human.  It's also how we learn and how we grow.  I've made my share of mistakes; we all have.  But, I've also made more than enough good choices and those far outweigh the bad ones.  One of my favorite choices is when I decided to dedicate my miles for the marathons I've run.

Allen and I this past summer.
Styln' and profilin'

Mile 1 - Donna Koffler, Lou Majetic, and Cy Clark.  Again, you'll always have a mile dedicated to you, and that will never change.

Mile 2 - Allen Hunter and Morgan Davis.  My niece and nephew.  Wow.  You two are both graduating this year, and shortly after I run this year's marathon.  Words cannot express how proud of you I am,  and I'm sure you both already know that.  (And even though you love the Patriots Allen, you still get a mile.)

Morgan and her cool uncle.

Mile 3- Marissa Trouerbach, Rebecca Shearer, and Bentley Diaz.  These are three of the remarkable kids that we have been blessed to have met when Wheels, Wings, and Wishes was created.  No matter what life had given them, they have met everything head on and will not back down.  These are some of the strongest kids I have ever met, and I want this mile to go to them.

Rock on Marissa!

Rebecca having a blast at Wheels, Wings, and Wishes

Mile 4 - Debbie Chernik and Janet Zvaleny.   Debbie is the mother of a girl I went to school with, Kymie.  Kymie and I went to the same elementary school, and she and her husband help us out every year with Wheels Wings, and Wishes.  Janet is the mother of another woman I went to school with, Janice.  Like Kymie above, we went to grade school together all the way through graduation.  This mile is for both of their moms.

Mile 5 - Michael Taylor.    Michael is a friend of my nephew Allen.  I've not met Michael, but he had been thrown a curve ball recently so I wanted to honor him with this mile.

Mile 6 - Jordan Curry of the Mario Lemieux Foundation.  Jordan is my go to contact at the Foundation and has been an immense help with my past fundraisers.  I appreciate everything she has helped me with the past few years, and since there are two sixes in Le Magnifique's number, she's getting one of them with mile 6.

Mile 7 -  Blake Miller.  Blake is the son of our friend and Bryan's old roommate Todd.  Gone too soon, and at peace now.   RIP Blake, and mile 7 is for you.

Mile 8 - James Magovern.  James is coach Betsy's husband.  He had passed away just short of 12 years ago after a three and a half year fight with kidney cancer.  Betsy told me how much he loved to run last year, and has told us all many stories when we run and pace the "perfect 10s."  Mile 8 will be in his memory.

Mile 9 - Sam Ditullio.  Sam is the brother-in-law to my Aunt Lou Mazer (mom's side, but no relation to Sam.)  I'm truly sorry for that side of your family's loss Aunt Lou.   Sam gets mile 9

Mile 10 - Hannah Youngworth.  My God Daughter, and lover of all clowns.  Seriously, clowns are her favorite thing!  Man has time gone by there as well.  When did you turn into such a bright, smart, young woman?  It had to have been well after that Mad Dog 20/20 and box wine fiasco your freshman year of college.  Anyhow, you've have been doing some pretty amazing things the last couple of years, and you just took a HUGE step in moving to Jacksonville, FL, today in fact.  I wish you luck, and be sure while you live there, you pick on Morgan as much as you can for me.  She'll understand.

Mile 11 - The Tree Of Life Synagogue victims.  We should not remember the name of the person who was responsible for this tragedy, and should only remember the names of the 11 people that had been taken from their friends and families.  Their names are in the picture you see below, and when I hit mile marker 10, I'll remember that the next mile I'll be running is for each and every one of them.

Mile 12 - Amy Egan.  This is it Amy.  This is the spot where you have decided you're turning right up Forbes instead of turning left and heading back into the city.  There is no turning back, now.  I've made it up this hill quite a few times, now, and this being your first marathon I know you'll make it up that hill, too.  I'm proud of you. (And not, this is not my fault.  I didn't make you sign up for this!)

Mile 13 - April and Tom Hanahan.  What you two are doing for your daughter Kelsey is so inspiring.  52 miles for her 52 weeks of chemo.  No matter how much she has been through in the short time I've known you two, she NEVER...STOPS....SMILING!  And here you both are at mile 13...and mile 26 between the two of you.  You can't stop now, and I know you won't either, because you both have another 13.2 before you see your baby girls smiling face at the finish line.  If you need a beer, I'll tell Bryan to have a couple waiting for you at the finish.  Just don't drink mine, OK?

April, Tom, and Kelsey

Mile 14 - Robert Stiffler.  Robert is the brother of another friend, Jamie.  Robert had suffered sever burns in a house fire, and has had a long road of recovery.  He's actually kicking so much arse that his long road of recovery seems like it may be a short road.  I wish you all the best while you heal from your injuries, but the picture Jamie shared of you this week shows the face of a man that could not be beat.  God Bless.

Mile 15 - Robert Novack, Beverly Thornton, and Everlee Stevens.  Robert is my old shipmate Paul Key's step father for the past 24 years.  He had recently passed and I wanted to honor his memory for Paul.  Beverly is the mother of another of our shipmates, Katie.  Everlee is the grand daughter of our shipmate Mark Stevens.  I would also like to include her in this mile for Mark, his son, and their family.  May all three of these angels watch over us for mile 15.

Mile 16 - Natalia Grace Hill.  Natalia has just come into the word and is only a few weeks old!  She also happens to be the first born daughter of my friends Simon and Amber Hill.  She's 1000x adorable.  This mile is for that little bundle of joy.

Coach Suzanne and her mom, Angeline

Mile 17 - Angeline Clark.  Angeline is the mother of one of my running coaches, Suzanne Natter.  I know she'll be watching over coach when she is in Boston.  I'd like to honor her with mile 17.

Mile 18 - Suzanne Natter.  Go get 'em in Boston this year, Coach.  You've earned it.  I cannot wait to watch you finish.

Mile 19 - Alan Burns.  Alan is the brother of my good friend Mike, and passed away almost 8 years ago.  He will always be remembered and loved, and mile 19 is for him.

Alan Burns

Mile 20 - Irene Ewing and James Orman,  Irene is the mother of one of my old Circuit City managers, Charlie Ewing.  James is the father of his wife Val.  I wanted to honor their memories here with mile 20.

Mike and his mother, Nancy

Mile 21 - Nancy Hluben,  Nancy is the mother of my friend Mike who I have known since I was 16.  Near and dear to Mike and Dawn, and the rest of Mike's family, I know she is greatly missed.  May she RIP.  Mile 21 is for her.

Mile 22 - Roberta "Bobo" Morrow.  My coworker Cathy had lost her father last year, and I was able to dedicate a mile in his memory.  Shortly after the marathon last year, she soon lost her mother.  I'm truly sorry for your loss Cathy.  Mile 22 is in her memory.

Mile 23 - William Gardell.  Those of us in Pittsburgh may already know that William is the father of one of this city's favorite sons, Billy.  Billy did a cool thing and called my folks to wish them a happy 50th anniversary.  I'd like to return the favor by honoring his father for mile 23.  RIP Mr. Gardell.

Mile 24 - Lee Ann Shultz and Melissa Jacobie Pickler.  Lee Ann is the sorority sister of one of my close friends, Carie Young.  She was taken from us far too soon, and I know how much she meant to Carie.  Melissa is the friend of another friend, Christine Hess.  Christine had reached out to me after we found out about our friend Phil, and told me about her friend.  I've never had the pleasure of meeting these two ladies, but I again I know how much they meant to you both.  May they RIP.

Mile 25 - Phil Tallentire.  Phil, I don't know what to say except that I know how much you meant to everyone.  You were family to Bonnie, Bobby, Jason, Lainie, Eric (E), and so many others.  You are and will always be missed.  Until we meet again, I'll continue to hide all the hard boiled eggs in Lainie's hoddie.

Ridiculousness at a Pens game with Bernie

Mile 26, and the last .2 - Bernie Augier.  It's been a few weeks now Bernie, and it doesn't seem real.  Not one bit.  Again I gotta fight back the tears as I type this because man you mean so much to so many of us, but not more so than to your mom and dad.  We can all hear your voice and hear you laugh.  We can all still see your smile.  I'm really going to miss you, brother.  When I get to mile marker 25, I'm going to be so tired.  But because the last 1.2 is for you, I'm going to do what ever I can to pick up my feet and just take off as fast as I can.  I don't care how much I hurt.  I'm going to do it.  Bryan is going to hand me a beer, like he always does, but this one is going to have your name on it.  He's going to hand me a shot of Jager, too, and even if it makes me hurl...it's for you.   I love you man.  Watch over us.

     I don't know how many more of these marathons I have in me.  I truly enjoy being able to complete one, but more so because of reasons like you see above.  But, whenever that time may be it does not mean I'm going to stop.  It just means I'm going to run shorter distances.  And no matter the distance I run, each and every step I take will mean something.  It will mean something to not only me, but to someone else, too.  It has to.  Like I said, life is short  Let's make it mean something.  Let's make every step count.

Until next time Pittsburgh.....keep on running.  I'll see you at the finish line.

Sinceriously,

Chuck Hull, The Running Jedi.

PS - Don't forget we have a ton of prizes to raffle off to those that have donate to the Mario Lemieux Foundation this year, and anyone that donates is eligible.  All you have to do is click the link.  Once we hit $2500 raised, this year's marathon will be run in a dress.  Yup.

https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/mario-lemieux-foundation-pittsburgh-marathon-2019/chuckhull

Coach and I at Spring Thaw

Morgan, her Boyfriend Zach, and I

        
   

           

Thank you, Bernie.

     To say it's been a long week since this past Friday may be an understatement.  The last blog post I wrote had been about a few people taken from us way too soon in their lives.   A week later, we lost another dear friend of mine, Bernie Augier.  I mentioned in the last post how sometimes I don't deal with death all that great, and this time is not really any different.  But, are we really supposed to deal with losing someone well?  Everyone grieves differently.  Right now, I'm not even sure what to process.

     When my friend Phil passed away last September, I didn't really grieve as much as I probably should have.  Knowing how close Bonnie was to Phil, I stayed as strong as I could.  I wanted to keep up that front so that if she needed a an extra shoulder to cry on or friend to lean on, I could fulfill that role.  I would do the same for everyone else that knew Phil.  Most knew him way better than I did, and even though I worked with him for a few years and we all hung out time and again, I still felt I needed to be the strong one.  I've been that way since I was a kid, when my dad's mother passed away.

Bernie custom made the trophies for Wheels,
Wings, and Wishes.  All made from car parts.  The kids pick
their favorite cars.

     When my grandma had passed, I cried the first time I went to the funeral home.  These were new emotions for me and I did not like them at all.  Everyone cried, including my dad.  My dad was the strongest person I knew so if he was hurting, I wanted to be strong for him.  I mean, I was 14 and a grown up now.  So, anytime tears would well up in my face I would bite my cheeks until they stopped.  My dad needed me.  He'd always been strong for me so I had to be strong for him. Years late when my mother's parents had passed away, I did the same.  I did that when Phil passed away. As soon as that feeling crept up on me, it was time to bike my cheeks so I wouldn't cry.  I kept doing it on Friday when Bernie passed away, but this time I was failing miserably.

     I worked from home that morning waiting for a plumber to never show and fix our problem from the night before.  It was Thursday afternoon that Bryan had texted all of us to let us know that Bernie had been rushed to the hospital, and that things for him we not looking too good.  Things did not improve on Friday, and Bryan suggested we all stop at the hospital for a visit.  When Edyta came home from work we headed straight UPMC Presby.

DJ, Bernie, and Bryan.  This picture cracked me up.

     When we got to his room, all Bernie's friends and family where there.  When I saw the looks on everyone's faces the reality of the situation began to set in.  Bernie was on a morphine drip which they had increased over time to ease his pain, and he was still on a breathing tube.  His best friends growing up - DJ, Chuck, and Kevin - were all there (even their spouses and children.)  Bernie's parents were there as was Bryan.  And now, Edyta and myself.  Everyone was talking with Bernie to let him know we loved him and were right there should he need us.  They let him know that everything would be OK.  His mom and dad told him that pretty soon he would be able to breath again without his tank, and he'd be able to run and do everything he once was able to do.  His eyes were open at times and I know he saw all of us in that room.  I know he saw all the love on each and every one of our faces.  When he reached up  couple of times to scratch his chin, I thought maybe he was going to flip us all off and say, "ha ha...I'm just kidding.  You're all being punked! You should see your faces!"  He would do that, too.  But...that was not the case.

     When the nurses removed the morphine drip, my only thought was to ask Edyta why they did that.  After she answered, I looked at her and asked if that meant Bernie was going to die.  She's a nurse. She knows these things.  I don't,.  She told me yes.  My chest tightened up because I didn't want to hear that.  I was not ready for this.  None of us were!  I wanted to leave the room but couldn't.   All I could do was bite my cheeks so that I wouldn't cry.  It hurt.  I didn't care.  Everyone else was already crying.  I had to be their rock. It's what I do.  I had to do it for them, for Bernie's mom, and his dad.  Anything that formed in the corner or my eyes I wiped away as quickly as I could.  His breathing mask was soon removed and a short time later....Bernie was gone.  Our friend was longer with us.


     On the way home, Edyta told me a story I did not know.  When she finally got to meet Bernie shortly after we began dating, he of course sent her a friend request on Facebook.  I remember him telling me I found a good one and she was perfect for me.  He then sent her a message on Facebook Messenger as well.  What he said she had never mentioned before, and it really sums up how much he cared about other people.  She told me Bernie had said to her, "I'm so happy that Chuck had found you.  I have never seen him smile like that or ever saw him this happy.   Take care of him for me, OK?"  Man, that guy...

     The next morning I set out to the city to run.  I had 12 miles on my training program, but I didn't feel like running.  I didn't want to run.  But, Bernie would call me a few choice words so off I went.  For 12 long miles, I thought about the night before.  I thought about all the fun we had had in our late 20s and early 30s.  I thought about the years we all had grown apart and had moved in different directions of our lives.  I thought about how we had all grown back together.  But with each step I was exhausted.  Emotionally.  Physically.  Mentally.  But, I was almost done and then I could go home.

     I had less than a mile to go and the Rocky theme came on my playlist.  I chuckled to myself knowing how tired I was and in my head I said, "Bernie you're a jerk.  You did this, didn't you?  ******e."  I took off running faster and faster.  With each step I took, the lump forming in my throat got larger and my eyes began to water.  I was getting more emotional with the thought that Bernie would no longer be with us.  That thought made me run angry.  I was now mad.  I was really, really mad.  Before I knew it, my watch beeped and the song ended right there.  So did I.  I lost it.  I was in front of my car, hunched over and balling my eyes out.  I just lost another one of my friends, and one I've know for almost 20 years.   It sucked and  I hated it!

Gateway Clipper, Clark's concert for
St. Patrick's Day.

     As soon as I realized someone was in the car next to mine, I composed myself and started to return home.  My mind then shifted to all of the good things and the good memories I had of our friendship.  Our trip the Charlotte for race weekend where Bernie shaved my head into a mo-hawk (another story for another time.)  Our trip to Orlando where Bernie rented this awesome beach buggy that he drove around like a little kid.   Thoughts of how stupid we were to ride a snow board down the steps of the ABC house, where Bernie had completely destroyed his ankle.  (My idea.  My fault.)  There was the time I wore a dress to a Penguins game for charity, a pink one because he requested it as part of his donation.  That day was the first time I had seen Bernie in about 5 or 6 years.   Two years after that, Bernie and the rest of us were working to make money to grant wishes to kids that needed a smile or two.  Just about every memory I had filled my head.  I thought about everything that actually mattered, and nothing about what didn't.  The rest of the week, including yesterday, I continued to run angry.  It felt good, but it still hurts.

     Bernie was a great guy, he really was.  He would do anything for anyone.  He would give me the business like all true friends do.  He made people laugh.  He made people smile.  He made our lives better for having known him.  I could go on and on, and tell stories that people have, but some of those stories are not mine to tell.  Most of these stories will be told tomorrow, at his wake.  Some of us may cry, but all of us will laugh and smile.  Some of us will do shots, and some of us will share a beer.  We'll raise our glasses and toast Bernie.  This is what he would have wanted.  Seriously Bernie would kick our behinds if he saw us crying.  Bernie, you already know we will, but you'll still kick our behinds anyway.

Bernie, Bryan, and Mike

     I'm sure you're up there reading this, and I want you to know something.   I love you, man.  I am glad to have met you all those years ago.  I am glad to have been able to take a vacation or two with you and the gang.I was honored to have been able to DJ your wedding (and I'm sorry it didn't work out.)  I'm more than honored to be able to call you my friend.  I wish everyone I knew had been able to meet you.

     Even though you're gone please know that our mission with Wheels, Wings, and Wishes will not stop.  Please know that my mission with the Mario Lemieux Foundation will not stop.  We'll find a way to keep granting wishes,  and I'll find a way to raise as much money as I can for cancer research in the hopes to find a cure.  We didn't lose you to cancer.  You are a champ and you told it to where it could go.  It was the treatments you receive that took the most toll on your body.  If what we do, and what I am doing can make it so that no one has to ever endure any of that again, we will.   We won't stop.  We won't ever stop.  You didn't.

   One last thing I wanted to say, if you're still reading this, is thank you.  Thank you, Bernie.  Thank you for being who you are and who you were when you were with us.  Thank you for being a good son, a good brother, and a good friend.  Thank you for enriching all of our lives.  And, even though you're not sure how it works, thank you for watching over all of us as you said you would.  We love you and we miss you.  We will never forget you.  You are a part of us, forever.

And with that, keep on running Pittsburgh.  Don't run for just you.  Run for everyone you hold dear.

Sinceriously,

Chuck Hull, The Running Jedi.

I remember how ridiculous I looked,
and Bernie made sure to remind me.

Don't forget, if you'd like to donate to the Mario Lemieux Foundation you can do so by clicking here:

https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/mario-lemieux-foundation-pittsburgh-marathon-2019/chuckhull

Prizes:  If $2500 raised, a signed Pittsburgh Penguins Jersey (either 66, 87, 59, or 30), A Garmin Forerunner 35 GPS Watch, A MLF T-shirt and window decal, GOODR sunglasses, a Brooks running hate, and a Honey Stinger Prize Pack.

Me, Bernie, Bryan

The infamous ABC House

99.7 Wish FM Radio-thon for Make A Wish, Year 2 for us.

Brandi And Bernie, WWW Year 3

Bernie and his childhood friend Chuck

Steve Brooks and Bernie

M