Real Heroes

UPDATING!!!! In honor of Sid preparing to run his 200th Full Marathon tomorrow, I'm reposting this because he's awesome....

Remember a few months back when I posted about how Hollywood is making stupid people famous for doing absolutely NOTHING? The post, Real Stars vs. Fake Stars was written about my friend Holly. Lots of you had lots of really nice things to say. I like writing posts like that, where attention is brought to someone who does good things for others, as opposed to doing nothing worthwhile for anyone but themselves.

Today I'm writing about a guy who is amazing, who does amazing things and seeks nothing in return. No glory, no press, no accolades. He does what he does simply because he wants to.

His name is Sid Busch. Sid is a runner, a marathoner, and to me, a hell of a guy. See, Sid doesn't just run half marathons and full marathons because he likes the bling. Now, I'll admit, the bling is cool. But Sid doesn't keep the bling for himself. Crazy, right? No, here's what Sid does. He runs in memory of a soldier or sailor who has been killed in action. He usually carries with him a picture of the person for whom he's running. And he carries an American flag for the entire race. When he crosses the finish line, he receives the medal for the race. But he doesn't keep the medal, instead he presents the medal to the fallen soldier or sailor's family. They sometimes travel to Arlington and place the medal on the soldier's headstone. This is one of the most selfless, compassionate things I've ever heard of.

Sid has run 199 FULL marathons. That's 5214 miles. Let that sit in your brain for a few minutes. That's the equivalent of running in a straight line from Atlantic City to San Francisco and back again. Mind = blown.

Photo courtesy: Robin Schmitt

I've run several half marathons with Sid, like the Marine Corps Historic Half and the Frederick Nut Job. And each time I run, I look forward to seeing Sid and giving him a high five or a fist bump. I've become Facebook friends with Sid and visit his Where's Sid? Facebook page each week to see what his next race will be. I sent him a message last week asking if he'd mind if I wrote about him on the old Snarkfest blog and he graciously agreed.

I asked. Sid answered.

Me: Where were you born?

Sid:  I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY.

Me: You were in the Navy right?

Sid: I served in the Navy for 26 years. I was a Senior Chief Sonar Tech on subs.

Me: What kind of work do you do now? How do they feel about what you do? Are they flexible with your race schedule?

Sid: I work nights 4 days a week. I drive a truck for the Post and Courier and deliver the newspapers to the carriers so they can sort and deliver them. It's flexible so I can attend my races.


Me: Do you just run races in the eastern part of the country? How far have you traveled for races?


Sid: I drive now to races, saves money, and I can pack more than with flying. I have run all over the world. Furthest was ROTA RUA NEW ZEALAND

Photo courtesy: Keri Jacobs

Me: Do you have a favorite race to run?

Sid: I have a list of 5 favorites (including ties)

          Air Force and Marine Corps Marathons
          New York Marathon
          Baltimore Marathon
          Little Rock Marathon
          Disney World Marathon


Me: Do you remember your first marathon? Do you still have your first medal?


Sid: My first marathon was at the Hunter Army Air Field in Savannah, GA. It was 2 loops of the base. The medal was lost when I transferred.

         (editors note: I would LOVE to find out if it's possible to find the medal for this race!!!)

Me:  What's the reason that you do what you do?

Sid: WOW, this is a hard question. I do what I do because I have to do something more than pay lip service to those young men who have given the ultimate sacrifice to let me live in a free country. I want their families to know that their loss has not gone unnoticed.  I also do this to ease my guilt that I got too old to serve.

Photo courtesy: Sid's Facebook page

Me: What are the reactions you get from the families of those for whom you run?


Sid: The response is amazing. I have been adopted by these families, and have been treated like a member of the family.


I want to say 'Thank you' to Sid for taking the time to answer my questions, for allowing me to introduce him to you all and for doing what he does for those who can no longer run. Sid's not looking for attention, or praise. He's just a good guy doing his thing his way. And I'm proud to know him.

Photo courtesy: Sid's Facebook page

Thanks Sid, and for crying out loud, stay hydrated!

Hero...

Let's hear it for this kid. Seriously. Nate Scimio, a Franklin Regional High School student, had the presence of mind to pull the fire alarm when 16 year old Alex Hribal was terrorizing the school, wielding a knife and stabbing and slashing kids. This article from HuffPo says that not only did Nate Scimio pull the fire alarm, alerting the school of a potentially deadly situation but also that he stepped in when Hribal was approaching a female student and pushed her out of the way, probably saving her from injury or worse.

Photo courtesy of Nate Scimio's instagram page. Thanks Nate!

 So let's give it up for this kid. I wish there were many many more kids like him in our schools today. You move to rural areas thinking your kids will be safer than in the big city or urban schools, and then something like this happens. It's scary as hell raising kids these days.

Celebrating REAL stars again...

It's been over a year since I posted this, but I feel that in light of all the recent crap that's been in the headlines (Kimye, Robin Thicke's divorce, Miley eating underwear to name a few), I wanted to dust this one off and bring it back. It's worth reading again. In my humble opinion. And since Shepherd University's Relay for Life is just around the corner, and because next week, my friend Holly Frye will once again be taking a group of Shepherd University students on a week called "Alternative Spring Break" to build a house for Habitat for Humanity, it was worth bringing back. So I give you Real Stars vs. Fake Stars, because I love Holly and I want you all to love her too.

Photo courtesy Shepherd University