On a sweltering hot day in mid June the Marathon story began. A midlife crisis, heat getting to me, no one knows for sure how it happened, but non-the-less it did. A moment of clarity, this defining moment, was upon me. I looked in the mirror and with disgust said “it has to stop”.

There I was, a sixteen year veteran to a pack a day smoking habit, dedicated to non-exercise for the last ten, 6 pack a week drinker, out of shape, poor health, and over weight. I am going to have a heart attack and soon if I don’t quit treating my body this way. Beating myself up mentally and desiring to beat myself up physically it became time for change.

The Marathon idea didn’t come right away. See at first it was hearing those words “your fat” that motivated me to start some sort of exercise. It was on a jog that it came to me. Reflecting upon my youth, when I wasn’t ‘fat’, when I was attractive. I remembered the admiration that I had for athletes who would run those 26.2 miles. How I felt these individuals were the elite. When I was a boy I wanted to be that man. That man that crosses the finish line, arms raised in a V, smiling, victorious in achievement. These thoughts inspired the dream. The vision that a man, poor in health, over weight and out of shape, will complete a marathon. The decision was made on that afternoon, I was going to run a marathon.

Upon sharing this news with friends and family, the skepticism in their voice, expressions and laughter became a motivational tool. Everyone that I had come to know and love throughout my life had expressed their doubt in one form or another that I could achieve such a task. After all, completing a marathon was a very ambitious goal. Nonetheless, I had hopes that these people would have known me well enough to know I’d follow through with my commitments.

There I was Marathon bound and nothing to hold me back. Everything and Everyone I know was providing fuel, positive or negative, to train this mess into a running machine.

In each of us, tucked deep in the back of our minds, is a life list. A list of dreams, accomplishments and desires that we’d like to achieve in our lifetime. This list divided into two sections, the achievable and the doubtable. You can imagine which side of the list we don’t share with others. When I was a boy I looked at the marathoner as an elite athlete. I always said to myself how I’d love to be that kind of person and how I could never do something like it. The marathoner was on the silent side of my list. After my declaration of independence on July 4th , 2006 from Phillip Morris I committed myself to completing this goal of running the Tucson Marathon. In order to completely commit to the project I told my family and friends my intentions. Many of which doubted my ability to complete, and some of whom laughed. I had the motivation of defying the doubters and the loving support of friends and family that kept me on the road four times a week.

On December 10th my vision came to fruition. The day was upon me and there I was on the starting line of a marathon, holding back the tears and thanking God for getting me this far. He had run 400 training miles with me in five months and only 26.2 miles remained. I must have thanked God twenty times during those five hours for running with me. For I never doubted that I would finish. As I passed mile twenty six and only that last .2 to go I asked God for the strength in my legs to sprint the remainder out. Through the face of adversity, and skepticism I ran across that finish line, arms raised in a V, smiling, victorious in achievement. Although I now stand among a small group of people we call marathoners, I am nothing more then the average Joe. I challenge each of you to look at the silent side of that list we hide from the general public and complete one of those dreams. With God all things are possible.