thedrifter
08-10-07, 10:35 AM
Friday, August 10, 2007
Brad Alsop's on a mission: 131 marathons in 131 days
Man, 37, raising money to aid injured Marines
By Britney Tabor
btabor@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
By Britney Tabor
btabor@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
While a group of dogs sat under a bench to cool off yesterday in Iroquois Park, Brad Alsop stood in running clothes, counting down the seconds to noon and the start of his daily marathon.
Alsop, 37, of Fern Creek, has run 26.2 miles around the park each day since the Fourth of July -- including through the recent heat wave -- to raise money for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. And he doesn't plan to stop until Veterans Day, Nov. 11 -- a total of 131 marathons.
The Semper Fi Fund provides financial assistance to Marines injured in combat or training.
Every day during his run, Alsop said, he's motivated by the Marines who've put their lives on the line so that he can enjoy freedoms such as running through the park.
"I know there's a lot of Marines that wish they were here (at home) right now," he said. "They have a tough job to do, and this is the best way I can try to connect myself to doing something even close to that."
Each day, he starts while it's hot, to experience heat just as the Marines do in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said. During his first seven miles, he runs around the top and bottom loops of Iroquois Park. He then does four laps around the bottom loop, which is 3.3 miles long, and then repeats the seven-mile route before finishing at his car.
"They're over there stuck in the desert, and as bad as it seems to run a marathon in 110-degree heat index, it's still not as bad as carrying a 75-pound backpack in 135 degrees in the middle of a sandstorm," he said. "I'm just trying to get as much of that feel as I can."
Alsop said it amazes him that Marines volunteer for the "toughest jobs in the world." He said he might feel a little guilt for not volunteering himself, but he tries to give back through his running.
He said he started running short distances in 2000. In September 2004, he started to run long distances in honor of military veterans.
He said he trained for four months before starting the marathon series, and a few years ago he used to wear winter clothes while training in hot weather to build up a tolerance for heat.
Alsop said he works as a groundskeeper, so his hours are flexible, allowing him to run hours every day.
On average he could complete a run in about three hours and 50 minutes before injuring his shin last week.
His fastest run so far was three hours and 14 minutes on July 28. He said the run was dedicated to his late brother-in-law, John Hoskins. In a posting on his Web site, he wrote that he wanted to slow down but could hear Hoskins telling to "speed up and keep going."
Norma Napier-Riggs, who lives near the park, tries to walk every day with weights in her hands and on her legs. She said she can't see how anyone could run in the heat.
"He's got to be in real good shape to do what he's doing," she said of Alsop. "I hope he makes it. I hope he's not overdoing it."
Calvin Riggs, who sees Alsop while walking his dogs every day, said the runner is "dead serious" about his business, and rain or heat doesn't seem to deter him.
Alsop said what people might think doesn't bother him.
"It's definitely not for everybody," he said. "Running is not for everybody, much less in the heat, but I'm not doing it because it's easy, but I'm doing it because it's difficult, and that's what sacrifice is all about."
Reporter Britney Tabor can be reached at btabor@courier-journal.com.
Ellie
Brad Alsop's on a mission: 131 marathons in 131 days
Man, 37, raising money to aid injured Marines
By Britney Tabor
btabor@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
By Britney Tabor
btabor@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
While a group of dogs sat under a bench to cool off yesterday in Iroquois Park, Brad Alsop stood in running clothes, counting down the seconds to noon and the start of his daily marathon.
Alsop, 37, of Fern Creek, has run 26.2 miles around the park each day since the Fourth of July -- including through the recent heat wave -- to raise money for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. And he doesn't plan to stop until Veterans Day, Nov. 11 -- a total of 131 marathons.
The Semper Fi Fund provides financial assistance to Marines injured in combat or training.
Every day during his run, Alsop said, he's motivated by the Marines who've put their lives on the line so that he can enjoy freedoms such as running through the park.
"I know there's a lot of Marines that wish they were here (at home) right now," he said. "They have a tough job to do, and this is the best way I can try to connect myself to doing something even close to that."
Each day, he starts while it's hot, to experience heat just as the Marines do in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said. During his first seven miles, he runs around the top and bottom loops of Iroquois Park. He then does four laps around the bottom loop, which is 3.3 miles long, and then repeats the seven-mile route before finishing at his car.
"They're over there stuck in the desert, and as bad as it seems to run a marathon in 110-degree heat index, it's still not as bad as carrying a 75-pound backpack in 135 degrees in the middle of a sandstorm," he said. "I'm just trying to get as much of that feel as I can."
Alsop said it amazes him that Marines volunteer for the "toughest jobs in the world." He said he might feel a little guilt for not volunteering himself, but he tries to give back through his running.
He said he started running short distances in 2000. In September 2004, he started to run long distances in honor of military veterans.
He said he trained for four months before starting the marathon series, and a few years ago he used to wear winter clothes while training in hot weather to build up a tolerance for heat.
Alsop said he works as a groundskeeper, so his hours are flexible, allowing him to run hours every day.
On average he could complete a run in about three hours and 50 minutes before injuring his shin last week.
His fastest run so far was three hours and 14 minutes on July 28. He said the run was dedicated to his late brother-in-law, John Hoskins. In a posting on his Web site, he wrote that he wanted to slow down but could hear Hoskins telling to "speed up and keep going."
Norma Napier-Riggs, who lives near the park, tries to walk every day with weights in her hands and on her legs. She said she can't see how anyone could run in the heat.
"He's got to be in real good shape to do what he's doing," she said of Alsop. "I hope he makes it. I hope he's not overdoing it."
Calvin Riggs, who sees Alsop while walking his dogs every day, said the runner is "dead serious" about his business, and rain or heat doesn't seem to deter him.
Alsop said what people might think doesn't bother him.
"It's definitely not for everybody," he said. "Running is not for everybody, much less in the heat, but I'm not doing it because it's easy, but I'm doing it because it's difficult, and that's what sacrifice is all about."
Reporter Britney Tabor can be reached at btabor@courier-journal.com.
Ellie