Our last spotlight of 2020 is on Gregory Rouson. Gregory started running at 15 or 16 to stay in shape. In college, he joined ROTC and thus running was a large part of the physical training. After college, he continued consistently running while he spent 5 years in the Army. He routinely completes around 100 events a year, as he often runs multiple races in a weekend. With all of these races, he’s a Half Fanatic (#8078), Marathon Maniac (#12723), and MCM Runner’s Club Member. His biggest accomplishment in running came on 10/31 when he finished his first ultra! Like most of our runners, the one race he wants to complete is the Boston Marathon. He is “slowly but surely working my way up the Bishop’s Event ladder, as well. Hopefully next year I’ll hit my 100th event.” He enjoys that our races are for local worthwhile charities. He enjoys the community aspect of our events and “it wasn’t until this year that, after not racing a Bishop’s Event one weekend, someone asked me where I was the weekend before. They actually noticed that I wasn’t there. That’s when I realized that these same people who wake up and drive out to various local parks each weekend, aren’t just random, faceless runners; they are a welcoming community made up of people from every walk of life. That’s what keeps me coming back weekend after weekend.” Running has shown Gregory that the only limits on what he is able to do exists in his mind. He has been able to push himself further than he ever thought possible. One of the best parts of the covid-19 quarantine has been that it has forced Gregory to slow down. He is used to traveling all over the country for races and the race cancellations have made him slow down. On the flip side, one of the downsides is his inability to travel as much as he is used to. He is looking towards finishing his 50 States Half Marathon Challenge as he only has 3 states left (NE, AK, and HI)! Come see Gregory at one of our upcoming events!
