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- His name is Death
His name is Death
A runner declining Death's knock
“There is only one god, and His name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death: ‘not today’”
-Syrio Forel
A Game of Thrones reference? Really?
Not exactly.
While this quote may be from a fictional character, I jotted it down in my notes years ago because of a very real, non-fictional runner.
Tommy Rivers Puzey. Affectionately known as “Tommy Rivs” is a well known marathoner and ultra marathoner.
In 2017 he had a top 20 Boston marathon finish with blazing 2:18 finish time. But that’s not why I know his name or why I am sharing this quote.
In the summer of 2020 Tommy was diagnosed with a rare lung cancer that put him through countless surgeries all while being in a medically induced coma. His family shared daily updates that were coupled with poetry, lyrics and quotes (like this one). Tommy survived, but the cost was steep. He lost over 75 pounds and his once super human lung capacity was shattered. But Death only heard one thing from him:
“Not today”
In 2021 Tommy entered the NYC marathon months after surviving his deadly cancer. Tommy had one goal, finishing the race. Tommy battled through the run and finished in 9 hours and 19 minutes. A feat that moves me much more than his Boston time.
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