Mile 23 Dedication: Bill Norman

Mile 23 is dedicated in memory of Bill Norman.  Kate knows Bill's daughter, Jenni, through the horse community.  I asked Jenni to act as guest blogger for this post.  She writes:

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My dad, Bill Norman, didn't always wear his heart on his sleeve. As the owner and operator of a community oriented AM radio station in North Myrtle Beach, he was geared toward solutions, not problems. Yet, as driven as he was - as big as his dreams were - underneath it all, his heart was even bigger. 

I often joked that - since I moved out of the house - he grew to love his Dachshund Oscar more than me. This may not have been entirely true, but he loved that stubby-legged little guy almost as much. Oscar was joined a few years ago by Tommy, a short-haired Dachshund from the local animal shelter. You see, Tommy was one of three dogs surrendered to the shelter and aptly used to be named "Three" (he still answers to this if you call him, which is a bit of a cruel joke to play). My dad was always up to date on what kind of animals the shelter was taking in and hosted meetings for the Humane Society of North Myrtle Beach in his office. My dad would often comment on how much cat and dog food the shelter staff went through each week, how many animals were waiting for new homes ("Don't you need another cat?" "How about another dog?"), and how much the shelter could use more support. 

Though I could never picture my dad running a marathon, I can envision him giving advice to Erik, especially in the 23rd mile - so close to home! As I noted before, my dad was always solution oriented. "Just tell me what you need" was always his favorite expression. In other words, don't focus on the tough parts, just focus on what you need to accomplish the task at hand - so for Erik, my dad would encourage him to continue putting one foot in front of the other, despite how tough it gets. He had this dusty old poster in his office - it's been there since I was a baby - and the first words are: Press On. What better cause to press on for than this? My dad would be proud to support Erik's run and cause, and so I say, press on, Erik. Thank you for supporting a cause so close to my dad's heart, and so close to many other peoples' hearts.

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I am proud to run Mile 23 in Bill's memory and honor such a great man.