RUNNING: Once in TOP million finishers (really!) of Marine Corps Marathon. C-3 spinal surgery now slows me down, but great respect for — and very honored to support -- USAFA70 WINDED WARRIORS! CANCER: Good people gone WAY too soon! Just lost sister-in-law (age 65); lost mom (age 68); lost three aunts; lost youngest cousin (age 58, a top jazz artist, Dizzy Gillespie signed his trumpet in concert); and others. LET'S #FINISHCANCER! For more of John's bio ... including wild exaggerations and rumors .. click READ MORE ► for the "REAL STORY" The Real Story
More bookish than athletic, one day in June 1966 I arrived at the "base of the ramp" leading up to the Cadet Area (which used to say "Bring Me Men" no longer politically correct but from a poem "Bring me men to match my mountains, bring me men to match my plains, men with empires in their purpose and new visions in their brains" — you know, stuff like that) scared cross-eyed but trying not to show it. My eyesight didn't put flying in my plans, but they let me in anyway. Marching to the beat of my own drum I bewildered people in CS-07 (Cadet Squadron 7 -- "Seagrams 7" also no longer politically correct), CS-22 and CS-33. The Air Force assigned me to fascinating jobs, and the camaraderie was something I didn't appreciate well enough until I moved into other realms. Nonetheless, I followed on with great jobs in international security, cable and new media. God has blessed me with a great family, including a wife who keeps me in line and sons (grads of NYU and UVA) who run circles around their dad! PS, illustrious running career:
How I finished my last Marine Corps Marathon in the TOP MILLION FINISHERS. What helped was this. I was on the last few miles out on Haynes Point, a notorious place for folks to hit the wall. I hit the wall, but also for the first time had to pee. The Marines do a great job of supporting the race. So I staggered in a daze over to the nearest Port-a-Potty, threw open the door, the girl sitting there screamed, I slammed the door and fled ... all the way to the finish line. Amazing what showing off for girls can do for a guy! Comments are closed.
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Winded WarriorsThe "Winded Warriors" Team Follow Winded Warriors all the way to the finish line! |