"Some of you may have heard about
Dave Cockman from Mayor Taylor in the
past day or two. Dave lives in Cary, NC, and he contacted us both several weeks ago about an
incredible running feat he is about to undertake – running across the entire state of North Carolina in 12
days. He will be starting at the Tennessee border just
west of Murphy on April 4, and he will be finishing at Jennette’s Pier in Nags
Head, averaging 50 miles per day. He is doing this as a fundraiser for wounded
veterans.
Dave has a website you will want to
check out that gives all of the details of his run: http://murphytomanteo.org/run-across-north-carolina.
The website has a live tracking link so you can track his progress as he makes
this epic journey.
Dave will be leaving Hayesville on
Sunday morning, coming through Franklin and on up
the Gorge
Road and into Highlands on Sunday, April 5, at about 6:00 p.m.,
and Mayor Taylor will be planning on meeting him at the parking area next to the
Lake Sequoyah Dam. Dave will be running alone, carrying everything he needs
with him, and running about 12-minute miles. Everyone who would like to meet
Dave and run with him should check the live tracking link – the plan is to meet
at Town Hall about 30 minutes before his estimated arrival. Runners can carpool
to the Sequoyah Dam and wait for him to arrive. The Highlands Police Department
will provide an escort into Town. The Mayor has arranged for complimentary
accommodations at OEI – it is really generous of them to do this on the busy
Easter weekend. He will then proceed to the Ugly Dog for dinner. Everyone is
invited and encouraged to dine with him (Dutch treat). He will share with those
present how they can donate to the Intrepid Fallen Warrior
Fund.
On Monday morning Dave will meet the
Mayor at Town Hall at around 8:30 a.m. as he begins the next leg of his journey,
so this is a good opportunity to meet him and run with him if you can’t make it
on Sunday evening. The Mayor says there will be a signing of a proclamation in
support of his run for wounded warriors, and after the signing he will run with
him to the town limits as he continues on to Brevard. The Mayor says that a car
will be available at the town limits for the return to town hall, but he adds
that "real runners will simply turn around and run back." For those who don’t
know, by the way: Dave
Cockman is a “real runner.” Dave contacted me
earlier this week and told me, “My training has gone well and I have completed
two marathons and two 50-mile races in the past couple of weeks in preparation.
My legs are feeling strong and I feel now that I will be able to cover the
entire distance in a little over 12 days.”
You can reach the Mayor at
828-506-3138 for more information. As it happens, I will not be here to meet
Dave because Martha and I are headed to the Outer Banks to run the Flying Pirate
Half Marathon on April 19. I told Dave we would plan to meet him when he
arrives in Nags Head at Jennette’s Pier on April 15 or 16. When I told him
this, he said he was planning on running the half marathon, too – three days
after running a 600-mile warm-up. My plan is to locate Dave at the race, stay
right behind him, and hopefully stay with him for as long as I can, probably
about a half-mile.
Please don’t miss this opportunity
to meet an incredible runner who is also running for a great cause. Tell your
running friends and your veteran friends about him, and give him a good
Highlands welcome from our running club and
entire community."
That is indeed an amazing and inspirational feat, and I am looking forward to meeting Dave in Nags Head and running the Flying Pirate with him!
Dave Cockman
No comments:
Post a Comment