Big Dave
Silver City, New Mexico
2019
This is “Big Dave,” as he called himself, and his wife whose name I did not get. I came across Big Dave as he was walking very slowly down the sidewalk alone. He was grunting and groaning a bit so as I passed him I commented “Hard going?” or something to that effect. He informed me that walking was painful because he had just finished the Bataan Death March, which stopped me in my tracks.
His comment turned out to be less strange than it sounded as he had in fact just finished competing in the Bataan Memorial Death March marathon held annually at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico to commemorate the infamous Bataan Death March in Word War II.
Dave did the 15-mile half-marathon totally on his crutches. His wife completed the full marathon in just about the same time as it took him to do his 15 miles. As proof of his participation he showed me his right hand which sported a blister of impressive size (see below). All I could say to that was “way to go Dave, you da man!”
