I am attaching a few pics from that race. The first is of Casey, Jim and I, in our official “Lucky Chick” race gear (we needed long sleeve shirts for the race, and Walmart was selling women’s sweatshirts in the $3 bin). The second is of Jim taping his knee mid-run. The third picture is Casey, Jim, and I celebrating at the finish line. The last picture is probably the most classic of Jim- during the last 10 miles of the race, he made friends with a guy he never met before on the course, and the two of them motivated each other to make it through the marathon. Jim finished the last mile ahead of him (also, classic Jim, he had another gear kicking to the finish), but he tracked this guy down for a photo because he wanted to share the experience with him. Classic Jim.

There are so many similar stories that pop into mind. One that stands out for me was the Philadelphia triathlon a few years later. Jim had not registered in time (another trait that, to be fair, was also classic Jim. He actually did have a few flaws. Not many, but a few), but I was racing, as was my older brother Mike and our friend from residency Kyle. Jim was on call at Kessler (which is in the northern part of NJ) the night before, but he drove down post-call to cheer Kyle, Mike, and I. The race was a really fun one, but I am not a runner. By the time I had finished the bike, the temperature was already well into 90s, with Philadelphia humidity. I was exhausted, and was starting to walk. That was until I saw that Jim had made the 2 hour drive down just to cheer us on. The picture below is me getting a second wind after seeing Jim. It may be hard to see, but there is a little thought bubble over the head of the guy I am passing that says “where the hell did that fat guy come from?”