Sunday, April 17, 2011

Hero of the week

I was just browsing the news while at work and I happened upon this story: Firefighter To Run In Uniform In Boston Marathon. At first, I'm thinking this guy has lost his mind. If you are familiar with the run, the distance is 26 miles long. If that isn't long enough, firefighter James Gefke is adding 30lbs of additional weight because of his gear. So far though, he's been trudging along strong as this will be his 4th marathon with the gear attire.

The scary part is that he states that "It doesn't allow my body to breathe really well, so I end up sweating quite a bit more than I probably normally otherwise would."

But the reason he's running is much more important. "I'm doing it in memory of a very close friend...John Harrington...He was riding into work that day and was actually my relief. Unfortunately, he was involved in an accident and passed away that day."

Harrington, 25, died after a truck hit his bicycle...Every year, a bike ride in his memory raises money for charity. And as the 7th anniversary of death approaches, Gefke will also be raising money for the Wisconsin Burn Survivor's Network.

Run strong and proud James Gefke. Good luck on Monday!

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