I hope this letter finds you well. I wanted to give you the final scoop on how my half-marathon for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society went and I also wanted to say thank you for helping with your donation. When all was said and done, I raised about $3,700 for the cause. That was a little shy of my personal goal, but still a large chunk to help fight such terrible diseases. I wish I had the exact numbers, but the Washington, D.C . chapter of Team in Training raised in excess of $250,000 for this race alone. I don't need to tell you just how valuable such contributions are, so thanks again for helping out. The race itself was on January 20th. Even though you probably wouldn't think of Bermuda as being this way, the race course was VERY hilly. As an added bonus, on the morning of the race, the weather service put out a gale force wind warning. So, on top of the hills, we got to put up with 25-35 mph winds. My goal was to finish the race in under 2 hours. I didn't set any records, but I finished the 13.1 mile course in 1:49, which equates to about 8:20 per mile. Even though the course was a little tough, it was ABSOLUTELY gorgeous. If you have never been to Bermuda, I highly recommend it. During the race, there were a lot of people that lined the course. The newspaper there published everybody's name and race number. On occasion, as I ran by, I would hear a "Alright, Murali!" or two. As you may remember, I ran the race in honor of Ken "Mach" Tatum. I put his name of the back of my running top. A few times I heard "Do it for Mach!" from the racers themselves and from people along the course. I also carried an American flag through the whole race, so there were more than a couple of "Go USA!" cheers. Everything made the entire race a whole lot more meaningful, enjoyable, and worthwhile. Speaking of Ken Tatum, he is doing great. His chemotherapy went extremely well and he is back in Florida with his family. On top of that bit of news, "Mach" has been back in the air again. He is back as the commander of his squadron, has flown in the back seat a number of times already, and is hoping to get back to the front (and only) seat again soon. As for an update on me, I just recently got an assignment to Langley AFB in Hampton, VA (just outside of Virginia Beach). I finish up my master's degree at George Washington University in May. In June, I'll swing through Florida for a couple of months of training before I show up at Langley AFB in August. I'm VERY excited to get back into the F-15. So, there's the latest on "Mach", the race, and me. I hope everything is going well in your neck of the woods. Again, thanks SO MUCH for all your help, support, and well wishes. Feel free to drop me a line any time. All the best, Duke |
February 10, 2002 |
