What a crazy year this is turning out to be. The world has somewhat come to a stop because of a viral outbreak across the globe. Some of us have lost our jobs, and pretty much all of us have been ordered to stay home and not go anywhere unless it's completely necessary. This truly is something straight out of the movie. (And too bad it's not Star Wars where I can have a working light saber. What could possibly go wrong?) But, even in all this chaos if you will, there are still things that we can do such as go for a walk with our families, walk our dogs, and even go for a run. Running is pretty much what is keeping me sane right now.
The past few weeks have been a bit different in the running community. We've seen a lot of our favorite events cancelled or rescheduled. That, of course, includes The Pittsburgh Marathon. The folks at P3R really do not have an option to reschedule, so they've given us the option to run the Pittsburgh Marathon virtually. That means that we can run our 26.2 miles anywhere and anytime in the next few weeks, then submit our time to be uploaded. We will then have officially run the 2020 Pittsburgh Marathon. Not a bad deal, honestly.
The best part about this is that I can run in different parts of the city. It doesn't have to be the official Marathon route. I could run to the South Hills and back like I did a few weeks ago. I could run to Coraopolis, into Moon, and then into Robinson. I could run to my parent's house in Aliquippa and then take an Uber home (which would be kind of extreme.) There are endless possibilities. And to make it even more entertaining, I think I'm still going to run dressed as a viking (weather permitting.) What would be more fun than seeing some random dude running all over the place dressed as a viking? Actually, I could think of plenty of other things, but in times like these, I just want to do what I can to keep a smile on everyone's faces. And that brings me to this: 26 miles, 26 dedications.
Mile 1: Donna Koffler, Cy Clark, and Lou Majetic. Keeping this mile 1 tradition alive.
Mile 2: Little Mamba, Gianna Bryant. We all know of the accident involving Kobe and his daughter and it shook the sports world, as well as the rest of the world. This young lady had a great life ahead of her, but she was tragically taken from her family. I felt since she wore the number 2, mile 2 was a perfect fit. RIP Gianna.
Mile 3: Mile 3 is going to three of my favorite Wheels, Wings, and Wishes buddies: Jimmy Spagnolo, Rebecca Shearer, and Marissa Trouerbach. These three make our Wheels event every year, and as the day gets closer and we are not sure the event will take place, there's a good chance I won't get to see these kids this year. It bums me out a lot. So, I'm giving mile three to these three.
Mile 4: Louis Pugliese. Louis was the uncle of our friend from the Make a Wish Foundation, Stephanie. May he rest in peace.
Mile 5: Barbara Brennan. Barbara is the aunt of one of our running friends, Marnie Sutch. RIP Barbara.
Mile 6: Tom McCormick. Tom was a Moon High graduate and friend to many of my friends. I did not know Tom personally, but I do know how much he meant to everyone. RIP Cap.
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| Rosario Trunzo |
Mile 7: Tricia Miller Kosloski. Tricia was a sister, and at time a mother figure to one of my old Circuit City supervisors, Nancy Shields. May she rest in peace.
Mile 8: Rosario "Ross:" Trunzo. Ross was the father of one of our high school friends, Caroline Trunzo Handrick. May he rest in Peace. I'm truly sorry for your loss Caroline.
Mile 9: Silvio Stella Mastroianni. Silvio was Caroline's uncle. May he, too, rest in peace.
Mile 10: Henrietta Eaton and Tom Leskovic. Hentietta was the grandmother and Tom the uncle (brother and sister) of one of our pacers in SCRR, Jeff Eaton. They had both passed this year and led full lives. May they rest in peace.
our
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| Pete Thompson |
Mile 12: Tina Bober. Tina is my buddy Mike's mom. This one is for you Tina.
Mile 13: To my Polish Princess, Edyta. She is a nurse and this is an even tougher time for her, doing what she does best, and afraid to bring something home to Zosia and I. And, even with how busy she is, she's still finding the time to train for her marathon and stay well. I love her with all my heart and her strength know no bounds. Keep doing what you do best Princess. I love you. (She knows.)
Mile 14: My mom. My mom is a PTA assistant for UPMC, and she is working through all of this as well. My mom just never stops. And she never will. I love you mom.
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| Karen (Miller) Ray |
Mile 16: Virgilio Schipani. Virgilio was my friend Lisa Richetti's uncle. May he RIP.
Mile 17: Robert Hamstead. Bob was the uncle of on my my best friends, David. (Bro Namath.) He had passed last year, and was an Air Force Vet. May he RIP.
Mile 18: Michelle Fulk. Michelle was the life long friend of one of our friends, Marla Gibson. Another taken too soon, and may she RIP.
Mile 19: Maxine Germeyer. Maxine was the mother of Barb Kress, and Aunt of Michael Ehman, two of our great friends that hung out at Jekyl And Hyde. May she RIP.
Mile 20: Amanda Krinthinithis. Amanda is the daughter of a high school classmate, George. I wanted to pay tribute to her here, George. I know the past few years have not been easy for her, but she's got her dad there for her every step of the way.
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| Ray on the end making a goofy face. Flash went off in the Hangar Bay so hard to see our faces. |
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| Ray Blackburn |
Mile 22: Frank Bonura. Frank was the father of our Moon classmates, Shannon and Dom. He passed back in October and I wanted to pay tribute to him as well. May he rest in peace.
Mile 23: Karen Kelley. Karen was the mother of a high school friend, Missy Young, that has passed last year as well. May she RIP.
Mile 24: Patricia Darragh. Linda was our friend Kevin's mother, and had recently passed. I'm sorry I never got the chance to meet your mom Kevin. May she RIP.
Mile 25: Bernard Augier (Bernie's Dad.) Less than a year after losing you son, you had rejoined him. I know you'e up there riding Harleys side by side once again. RIP Mr. Augier.
Mile 26/26.2: Bernie Augier. Bernie, I paid tribute to you last year at Mile 26, and this is something I think I'm going to always do. This year, I'll have you with me, around my neck, as I have every day since your mother gifted to me a part of you: your ashes. And, I will continue to finish this race with a shot in your name. I think of you often my friend, and we all miss you a great deal. Just like I said last year, thank you for being my friend. RIP brother.
This blog post is never easy. These tributes are always difficult because so many of them have left us and sometimes far too soon. But, it's something that I've enjoyed doing since I came up with this idea. I know it's not a lot, but it's the least I can do to honor the memory of these wonderful people, and perhaps bring a smile to someone's face so that they know their loved ones are not forgotten. However, we never truly forget anyone, for their memories will always live on inside of each and every once of us.
Once I step foot outside to begin this year's quest, it will be unlike any of the others that I have done in the past. For this one there will be no crowds, no cheers, no cowbells, no applause. There will be no Junior ROTC recruits on West Carson street to high five runners as they approach mile marker 9. There will be no grey hounds at mile 18 to run with. There will not even be that guy at mile 20 yelling, "you're almost there!" There will be no SCRR Cheer Station at mile 25. But, that doesn't mean I'll be running alone. That's because I won't be alone. I'll be accompanied by 26 incredible people, whether it be virtually on a social media setting, or with them angelically. Every step of the way, every inch of every foot of every mile, they'll be there with me. And, they'll be with me when I finish. That is all I ever need in order to finish a race, even a virtual one.
Running from a Distance,
Chuck Hull, The Running Jedi.
#runpgh #movepittsburgh #runningjedi #vikinghuntPGH #26miles26dedications #teamlemieux
PS: You know my posts always have a PS, so here is this one. I said that I would run dressed as a viking this year if we were able to raise $2500 for the Mario Lemieux Foundation. Well, I'm going to do that ANYWAY! Like I said earlier, why not? It's for fun, and I'm sure it will have anyone that drives by me while running thinking, "what in the hell is that guy doing?" I'm going to take pictures along the way, and depending on where I may be, should you see me, you should as well! (I think #vikingwatchPGH is a good hash tag to use.) I will be running from my house in Crafton into Coraopolis and Moon. I know those areas quite well, so if you see me, snap a pic and post it for all to see and laugh at, and to think, "Chuck really has gone crazy." But, I'm going crazy for a good cause, The Mario Lemieux Foundation. Please consider donating if you can. I know times are tough, but there are not many people that are running the marathon this year, and we truly are the only ones running that the Foundation is counting on to his that fundraising goal. And again, once we hit $2500 raised, I will be raffling off TWO signed Penguins Jerseys! TWO!!!! And they are authenticated from the Foundation. All you need to do is click this link to donate:
https://raceroster.com/events/2020/24250/2020-dicks-sporting-goods-pittsburgh-marathon-weekend/pledge/participant/6731859
I'll see you all in a few short weeks.
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