Posted on 05/22/2019 8:52:58 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Walking through the Pittsburgh airport with his wife last October after a beautiful Hawaiian vacation, Matt Scoletti immediately felt the enormous shift that had happened in his hometown. The usual banter and laughter were gone, replaced by a heartbreaking heaviness.
A huge sign that adopted the Pittsburgh Steelers logo read “Stronger Than Hate,” in response to the mass shooting in the city that occurred at the Tree of Life, Dor Hadash, and New Light House of Worship on October 27th.
Scoletti stood in front of it, and a wave of resolve washed over him.
“This was not only an attack on our Jewish community, but on all of us,” Scoletti, who is Catholic, said to Runner’s World. “I felt like I had to do something personally to show love in the face of this tragedy. I wanted an act that was symbolic of the pain that the families and community were going through, but also symbolized hope and perseverance.”
As an endurance enthusiast—he’d once done a 24-hour bike race in Australia—the 35-year-old motivational speaker knew he wanted an athletic event for that symbolic act. He decided on running his first-ever marathon, the Pittsburgh Marathon on May 5th.
And he wanted to do it by carrying the 11 victims of the massacre with him—in the form of a weighted vest filled with 11 pounds worth of sandbags, which he would wear throughout the 26.2 miles.
Even in training runs, the importance of remembering those who’d passed was much heavier than the actual weight.
“Every time I put the vest on, I felt like I was putting that community on my back,” he said. “I felt like I was doing something positive for them.”
(Excerpt) Read more at runnersworld.com ...
Yes, there is hate out there for the Jews, but there is also love. It’s important to remember that
..................
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.