We Ran…..Because We Could!
My husband’s Memorial Service was on Friday, and on Sunday, we ran the Tulsa Route 66 Marathon in his honor. He was paralyzed during his final weeks of life, so we celebrated that we COULD run/walk.
Over 25 of us showed up with our red “Run for Ron” t-shirts. It was the 5th marathon in 55 days that our son, Ryan, ran, but this time, in honor of his dad. He started out his 26.2 mile run at 7:30 am. Our oldest grandson, Braden, ran the half-marathon (13.1 mile). The rest of us started our 5K run/walk at 8 am. We were all running/walking with such passion — so appreciative that we could.
Once we completed our 5K, we rushed to cheer for Braden as he crossed the Finish Line from his half marathon in his personal best time ever. He told me that he felt his Papa pushing him all the way.
When we went to meet up with Ryan at Mile 16 to cheer him on, we waited and waited. We thought we may have missed him, but in reality, we were at the right place at the right time, as Drew — a member of my church saw us, stopped a moment to pull out a large photo of my husband. He was also “Running for Ron”.
Then we got the call….a man had passed out just in front of Ryan. What marathon runners don’t do, is stop running mid-way through a marathon as it seizes up their legs, but Ryan stopped to help him. When it was apparent he was unconscious, Ryan held his feet and prayed while others were performing CPR for over 16 minutes. He stayed until the ambulance took the man away. Later we found out the 27-year old man passed away during that time. We knew it was providence that Ryan was there, and even that my Honey was probably there to greet him when he reached the other side. We cheered for Ryan as he crossed the Finish Line — not his best time because of the delay — but God’s best time, which IS the BEST time.
I was interviewed by the Tulsa World newspaper reporter about our “Run for Ron”. As an exclamation point to our efforts, that article and photo ran in the paper the next day. The next words are the caption with the picture and the next section is the article. The other photo is Drew Martins, from my church.
Photo caption: “The Run for Ron Family takes a moment for a group photo at the finish line of the Route 66 Marathon. The family had many members run in various races to commemorate Ron Wuerch, who died Tuesday of cancer.”
Article: “While many runners said the wind slowed down their times at the Route 66 Marathon on Sunday, one group found the wind to be anything but adversity. ‘We were giving thanks for everything in our life and the wind was like a fresh breath of air,’ said Donna Wuerch, whose husband Ron passed away last week.
Wuerch’s daughter Staci, son, Ryan and grandson, Braden – who ran the marathon and half-marathon respectively – and a host of extended family members and friends, were decked out in ‘Run for Ron’ t-shirts.
“This is our way of saying, ‘thank you’ for our legs, our lungs,” Staci said. “Dad had a lot of issues due to cancer, and we just thought it was a nice way to honor him and thank God for our blessings in our life.”
Among those running for Ron Wuerch was 32-year-old Gracie Updyke, who pushed her 15-month old son Ryan in a stroller over the 5k run. Runners came from as far away as Canada to support the cause, Works of Mercy, and the Wuerch family.
By LYNN JACOBSEN World Sports Writer