Dec. 23, 2018 – Washington Co., WI – Today I completed 24 years, 357 days of not missing a day of running. That’s 9,122 days in a row and run No. 18 of the 25 Runs of Gratitude.
Just when I think I am running out of material to write in this blog I get a text from an old friend Danny Horst.
He texted me last night after the Day 17 run was a story on the Fox 6 news. Danny asked if the “Dunlap Run” was the inspiration for my 25-year running streak.
I can’t quite remember all of the details of the Dunlap Run but it was started by a group of my friends and my brother John’s friends. We were mostly a group of 18 to 20 year olds with a couple much older guys, Ralph and Marty that kept us in line. I think we all got bored with spending every Friday night at Becker’s Wedge listening to Ukiah and every Saturday night at Zivkos listening to the Friends.
One of us, I don’t believe it was solely my idea decided it would be a good idea to hold a run. We decided to call the run the Dunlap run. I am waiting for confirmation from Danny but I believe we named it the Dunlap because for many of the group, their bellies, had “done lapped over their belts.” We actually trained for this run and made trophies and took pictures of the runners after the race. I think the first year the course was five-miles long. That’s a pretty aggressive distance for a bunch of guys who didn’t normally run. The run was, in our minds, sponsored by Blatz beer. Blatz was the best tasting beer that most of us could afford to buy in the mid-eighties. Remember back then the drinking age was 18.
I don’t know how many years the run lasted but if any of the “Dunlappers” are interested in a reunion run you are now officially invited to our 25 year celebration run on Dec. 31. Just announce yourself to my daughter Maddie at the entrance on December 31 and proudly say, I am a former Dunlapper and your admission is free.
If any of you happen to read this blog and have a picture of the runners I would love to post it in one of my remaining blogs. If there is a Blatz representative out there and you want to provide a case or two of beer we will make you an official sponsor.
Today we ran for Consumer Credit Counseling Services. The organization assists clients in understanding and assessing their current financial situation. They also help their clients to set financial goals. Specific services include individualized budgeting, housing and mortgage counseling, student loan counseling, debt management and foreclosure prevention. These are all services that are so important for many people in our community.
Monday, Dec. 24 is Christmas Eve and we will run with my family and our sponsor’s families. The sponsors are Mountain Outfitters and MCR Services. We will also run with a group from Inspire. Most importantly we will be celebrating Chevy’s birthday. The run starts at 7 a.m. from 215 N. Main Street in downtown West Bend.
See you then!
To learn more how you can get involved and help support local non-profit organizations in Washington County click HERE.
To date Pete Rettler’s 25 Runs of Gratitude have benefited the Boys & Girls Club, Interfaith Caregivers of Washington County, Easterseals SE WI, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washington County, Kettle Moraine YMCA, Elevate, Friends, Inc., Family Center of Washington County ,Consumer Credit Counseling Service  and the American Red Cross SE WI.
