Team Red,White and Blue in Austin TX.....Pt II.

Maj.Mike Erwin(center)TeamRWB founder,6:30 am,on the steps of the Austin State Capitol.

I had a great time with TeamRWB at the 2012 Austin Marathon.
It was just great to be among so many people who were really trying to make a difference in other peoples lives,like all the TeamRWB volunteers do all the time.There was a great energy,even at 5:30 in the morning,by 6:30 the place was buzzing and a hive of activity.Kinda got me all jazzed up,I nearly felt like I could at least give the Half Marathon a shot,but then I thought well,who's going to take the pictures,so I excused myself with a promise to give it a legitimate shot in the next year or two somewhere.And I will too,there's just something so positive about runners and athletes alike,they're good to be around.At least that's what I get from them.

Larry Olson,TeamRWB's Director of Marketing.

I mean it's 6:30 am,some of the runners are running 13.1 miles,others are running the full 26.2 miles,and they're all smiles and happy before they start,so what does that say about them?.
Yeah,some will say the usual "they're all nuts" but to get your lazy ass up out of bed at 4am and get down to the start line by 5:30 requires many months of prior early morning and late evening training,so you know what,my hat's off to every competitor who ran that day.I have a tremendous amount of admiration and respect for them.

And especially for what TeamRWB have done and continue to do,to enrich the lives of wounded veterans and their families in our nation.

And at 7 am,they were all off and running.....

Larry Olsen,who along with his daughter Annie,ran the half,13.1 miles,looking like he could do the other 13.1 and make it a full,great run Larry and Annie.

I'm curious as to how many hugs Josh got.....

Sarah Dean,who ran the full 26.2 miles,well done Sarah,proud of you girl.

So as I look through these images,in the words of TeamRWB's founder,Mike Erwin,they "Fire me up".There's a lot of effort,energy,determination,dedication,blood,sweat and tears in the faces of all the TeamRWB members who ran the Austin Marathon,and all the other TeamRWB members all over the U.S.A. who daily give freely to help those who need it.

It's an honor to be though of as part of the organization that is

Murph

New York City & The TeamRWB Sept 11,2011 Memorial Run.....Pt II.

While the TeamRWB Liberty State Park Memorial run was going on in Jersey City,there were two other TRWB runs occurring in other locations,well,actually there were TRWB runs occurring worldwide,but two were being run by a couple of friends of mine.
The first was the TRWB run in Shanksville PA,organized by my good friend Mandy Miller.
These images were sent to me by Mandy and her crew.
They ended up doing a 9.11 mile run and a 5k.

Mandy Miller,Ultrarunner and Ironwoman.

Penn State ROTC.

Just beyond this wall lies the final resting place of the 40 souls of Flight 93.The spot is marked by a very large boulder and is off limits to all but family members.

I can only imagine how difficult and painful it must be for them each time they come here to visit.

The second run was by my friend Tess Geddes and Zac Addorisio who both ran a 37 km run from Mt.Currie to Whistler in Canada,BC.

Tess Geddes and Zac.

This picture reminds me just how beautiful Canada is,especially around the Whistler area.

Images  courtesy of Tess Geddes.

Mandy and Tess did a wonderful job of honoring the memory of Sept 11th and the spirit of TeamRWB and their efforts to raise awareness for their cause.

To get involved just go to the TeamRWB Website.

I stayed on in New York City for another week after the TeamRWB Memorial Run in Liberty State Park.
I had intended to go down to photograph the 9-11 Memorial,but upon trying to make an online reservation to acquire tickets,I came to find out that it was booked up in advance until the end of November.So I was a little disappointed,but soon put it behind me.New York City has too much to offer to be upset for long.
The Manhattan I knew and lived in was calling me,the city I had left 12 years earlier.......

And what trip to NYC would be complete without meeting another Irishman............on a motorcycle.................wearing a kilt.

Paddy Joe with his daughter out for a bike ride in NYC.
Turns out Paddy Joe is another Belfast boy,where I spent a wee bit of time back in the day.

Paddy Joe,great to meet you,and i'll be in touch.

I decided to leave NYC and ride the 270 miles over to Somerset PA and go to Shanksville to photograph the Flight 93 Memorial,the memorial that Mandy Miller had put on the TeamRWB run the previous weekend.So Monday,Sept 18th,I headed west out of NYC toward the PA Turnpike.Clouds and thunderstorms hovered over me ALL day,the whole 270 miles out to Somerset,but no rain.

The boulder beyond the gate is the final resting place of the 40 souls aboard Flight 93.

It was a dull and overcast day for photography,but to me it seemed it was fitting for what had happened here 10 years ago.It's had to imagine this place being one of joy.Tranquil maybe,but not a happy place.

It was only after I got to Shanksville that I decided to make a phone call to the 9-11 Memorial Press Office and was able to secure an overnight Press Pass to visit the 9-11 Memorial.

So after spending a few days in Shanksville,I rode the 270 miles back east into New York City,happened to meet another friend from Florida who was attending a computer course there,and had a place to stay for the night after my day downtown photographing the 9-11 Memorial.

The images of the 9-11 Memorial will be in my next post.

It will also include my photographic tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's famous house he built for the Kuafmann family in 1935,Falling Water,and my chance meeting while at Falling Water of the Vincent Owners Club 2011 International Rally.This is a rally held every 4 years in different parts of the world.In 2007 it was in Australia,and for 2015 Italy may be the destination.This group are real motorcyclists,some of them riding Vincents or HRD's worth upward of $300,000.....

Roberts absolutly stunning '37 HRD Series A being one of those.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and thank you for following along.....

Murph