Nearly 30,000 runners took part in Sunday's Chevron Houston Marathon and Aaramco Half Marathon. All of them them have their own stories; their own 'why,' so to speak.
This story is particularly special.
Michael Murphy of Spring, for the last 2 years, has carried a 67 3-by-5 foot American flags on his shoulder to honor living veterans, fallen soldiers or someone who can described as a “hometown hero.”
Murphy was in the Air Force and Air Force reserve for a combined eight years. He left before the attacks of 9/11, and that sense of service stayed with him for years.
It was rekindled during Hurricane Harvey when he assisted with high water rescues. That led to him joining the Texas State Guard, one of the state’s three military departments.
Then there are the 11 marathons, nine ultramarathons, and 22 other races he has run in the last year-and-a-half. Add it up, and it's 3,000 miles since January 2018. That doesn't count the training, either.
At every race he runs, he attaches a picture of every hero he is honoring to his race bib, so spectators can see them and ask about their service.
He runs the race in such a way that he is able to share the hero’s story if someone asks during the race itself.
Check out his Facebook post below to see who he ran for this past Sunday. Murphy also has a Facebook page about his efforts, which you can check out HERE. You can also check out the pictures below to see who he has honored in the past.
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