Why I am running on Memorial Day...in remembrance...

 I am running a 10K in my hometown on Memorial Day....our  "Race of Remembrance" and we, my family, have made it a point to run it every year in honor of two events that would forever alter my life, destroy my parents home, send a community reeling from tradgedy, and ultimately unite my hometown to climb out from the shambles, the hurt, and carry on....

May 23, 2008..

My parents were not home, they had decided on whim, to load up the grandparents and come visit us.  When they left our house after a fabulous day with family, the received the call, nothing was left, an EF5 tornado had destroyed our side of town....they called us and we immediately took off for "home" nothing could of prepared us....
 

Our neighbors house

Our house

Our town

An OK on the door meant everyone was accounted for....still sends chills through me.....

Our street now................................

A year later....................................

June 24, 2009

ESPN E:60 story on it...explains it all...i cannot put into words what I want to say about this....

We all went to the same church, I grew up with Coach Thomas's boys, and every day at school Coach would tell me "i should of been a football player" because of my toughness and will to win...I will never forget that....or him....

These reasons are why my family and I run this race every year.....to remember what was lost, to remember how to forgive, and remember how a town came together and overcame tradgedy....