By JOHN KLINE
THE GOSHEN NEWS
MIDDLEBURY —
They run to remember, and to remind others never to forget.
That’s the message members of the 2010 Tour of Duty 9-11 tribute run team wanted to convey as they made a brief stop at the Jayco facility in Middlebury Friday morning, one of many along their 4,620 mile run that began Aug. 12 on Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles and is set to conclude Sept. 11 in New York City.
The 36-member team consists of a collaboration between American and Australian firefighters and emergency service workers who have joined together in their commitment to honor the many firefighters, police officers, military, and emergency service workers who lost their lives in the call of duty during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack.
Jayco, a major sponsor of the run, donated motorhomes for the team’s use and hosted a breakfast for the runners at it’s Middlebury facility Friday as a way to thank the runners for their sacrifices and dedication during the 31-day journey.
“We saw that they were coming through Middlebury,” said Wilbur Bontrager, chairman and CEO of Jayco Inc., “and we decided we’d host them for a morning and feed them breakfast. We’re just delighted to have them here.”
In order to keep their timetable, the 36-member team has been divided into three 12-member groups, with each group running in six hour shifts covering approximately 45 miles at a time.
“It’s a relay-type run, so we’re running 24 hours a day,” said team member Steve Percival of Hobart, Tasmania, a small island located just south of Australia. “We do have some small stopovers when we need time to refresh, but basically there is a team who each have their own RV, and they run for six hours, and then they have 12 hours off, and then they run again. That way we always have runners on the road.”
Percival, an officer with the Tasmania Fire Service, said he couldn’t have been more excited when he found out he’d been chosen to participate in the historic tribute run.
“As soon as I saw it, I thought, that’s something I’m really interested in,” Percival said. “I like the physical side of it, but what we’re really doing it for is the cause, which is to remember. It’s coming up on nine years since 9-11, and as time passes, memories fade.
Nearly 3,000 innocent people died during the attacks and 343 of them were emergency service workers, mainly firefighters, he said.
Team member Rachel Cowling of Melbourne, Australia couldn’t resist when she heard about the run and the reason behind it.
“I’m a fifth-generation firefighter, and I just thought, it’s such a big thing, and so many people lost their lives that day,” Cowling said. “It’s just a huge thing to be a part of, and it’s just a little bit that I can do, trying to help out, and pay respect to those people that paid the ultimate price.”
Not a runner herself, Cowling said it took some training to get her ready for the event, though what she would realize later was that running would actually be the easiest part of the entire trip.
“Every mile we run we dedicate to someone who paid the ultimate price on 9-11, so you know you’re out there running for that, which makes it easier,” Cowling said. “For me, it’s the lack of sleep — two to three hours a night — being confined with six guys in one small van, living in each other’s pockets, and not eating properly, that’s probably the hardest thing.”
Even with all the hardships, the sore bodies and the lack of sleep, team member Robert Wills of Las Vegas, Nev., said he wouldn’t trade the experience for the world.
“Oh, I would do it again in a heartbeat,” Wills said. “It’s definitely worth it just to see the sights that we’ve seen, and the type of reactions that we’re getting in all the cities and towns we go through. We’re not there yet, but I can see the finish line, and I’m very excited about it.
“If given the chance, I’d do it all again.”
