Dec. 10, 2018 – Washington Co., WI – Today I completed 24 years, 344 days of not missing a day of running.
I don’t look like a runner. I can count on one hand how many runs I have went on in nearly 25 years where I came back and thought, “Wow, that was wonderful.” I run because of the streak. When the streak ends I will probably visit with Kevin from Mountain Outfitters and buy a fancy bike, just like my friend Mike ‘Chevy’ Chevalier.
During the early years of the streak, running apps and GPS watches did not exist. To determine what a particular distance was, I would have to drive my car, bicycle, or motorcycle on the route I had ran.
My first GPS watch opened up a whole new world of running. Now I could run anywhere and I would know to the 100th of a mile how far I ran. It’s funny but when you have been running every day for 25 years, with the majority of runs in West Bend, you get really good at distances. It is 1.5 miles from my house to the stop lights by the courthouse. It’s .35 of a mile from my house to Highway 33. If I add the “Laufer Trail” to my run, I add a half mile. If I make a lap in the industrial park near my house it’s a 2.35-mile run. If I add the “Bohn Loop” it’s another .20 of a mile. It makes giving directions to my house very easy.
Obviously most of my runs have been in Wisconsin but I have traveled a bit through the last 25 years, though never outside of the United States. The run always gives me the opportunity to check out different communities and points of interest.
I have run on the beaches of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans as well as the Gulf of Mexico. I have run in the Rocky Mountains and Yellowstone Park. While humming “Eye of the Tiger,” I have run the steps in Philadelphia that Rocky made famous. I have run through Central Park in New York and on the Disney grounds in both Florida and California. I have run on the Golden Gate Bridge and through the Garden of the Gods. I ran around Churchill Downs in Louisville just weeks before the Kentucky Derby. I have run past all of the monuments in Washington DC and past the Arch in St. Louis. One of my favorite runs was with my sons on the Treetop Trail in the Smokey Mountains where we cooled our feet in a few refreshing streams on the way back down.
Today I ran for the Family Center of Washington County. Bonnie Debroux shared some information regarding United Way-funded programs. I was most intrigued by their Journey’s program which started in 2017 and since then over 200 children have been assisted by the Family Center to deal with a traumatic event which can be things like a death of a parent or loved one, a divorce, a parent that is incarcerated, or dealing with any of the effects of drugs or alcohol.
At this time of year I think we all need to sit back and think about how many of the people we come in contact with every day are suffering emotionally. Bonnie shared a statistic stating that as many as one-in-four grade-school-aged children are enduring some type of depression. Washington County should be very grateful to agencies like the Family Center who assist with suffering that may not be visible to anyone else.
Today’s run was sponsored by Aurora/Advocate and RE/Max United. Kim Stapelfeldt from Aurora/Advocate and Scott Schneiberg, Paula Becker, Sharon Ellis, Carole Severson, and Glen Hupfer from RE/Max United. Kim also serves on the Board for the Family Center and was celebrating her birthday today. She didn’t share how old she was but I am pretty sure she is in her early 30’s. I would like to thank all of our sponsors for their generous support. We just need a few more to make goal.
Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 4 p.m. we run from the doors of the Kettle Moraine YMCA, 1111 W. Washington Street in West Bend. See you then.
Click HERE to read more about Pete Rettler and the 25 Runs of Gratitude for United Way of Washington County.
To date Pete Rettler’s 25 Runs of Gratitude have benefited the Boys & Girls Club, Interfaith Caregivers of Washington County, Easterseals SE WI, Family Center of Washington County and the American Red Cross SE WI.