412th Theater Engineer Command
Story by Sgt. 1st Class Phillip Eugene
Story by Sgt. 1st Class Phillip Eugene
Prior to the race on Oct. 6, 2009, he told his five teammates from the 412th Theater Engineer Command that he was concerned about his ability to complete the entire event without walking part of the way.
“Eight miles is the wall I’m going to run into, but I’m not going to stop,” said Lovato. “I don’t care if I have to do the airborne shuffle the entire way, I’m not stopping.”
Lovato found a source of motivation when he was less than two miles from the finish line. He said he looked to his right and saw a double amputee running on artificial legs. The look on the man’s face was a picture of pain and willpower, according to Lovato.
“I knew I couldn’t stop now, that guy was running for something,” said Lovato. “It seemed like everyone there had a cause they were running for.”
Lovato said he competed in the event because he always wanted to, but on race day he noticed that many of the 30,000 participants were competing for reasons that seemed more meaningful than his.
“Some were running for fallen comrades, others for Cancer, you name the cause and there was someone there wearing a t-shirt supporting it,” said Lovato.
As he got closer to the finish line Lovato got another dose of motivation.
“I heard a voice saying to me ‘come on, we’re almost there,’ I looked up and saw a woman, maybe 25 years old. She had on a T-shirt that said, ‘I’m running for my deceased brother,’” said Lovato.
The 412th TEC’s team finished fifth in the Army Reserve men’s category, approximately 32 minutes behind the first place team. Lovato’s time was 01:42:45.
“I’d like to beat that time if I get the opportunity to run again,” said Lovato. “…and yes if I run again I’d definitely pick a cause to run for.”
Stumble It!
