Jim started his running career upon entering his freshman year at Steinert High School in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. Prior to this, the only running Jim did that I could recall was the time a dog chased him thru the neighborhood and he jumped over the chain link fence in our back yard in one leap.
Jim was a firm believer in “determination and hard work” wins over natural talent. In the years to follow, Jim went on to prove this by transforming himself from a little couch potato who wanted to quit after his first practice, to a lean 6’4” young man on his way to hopefully becoming a world class runner.
By the time Jim entered his senior year in high school, Jim shared being the captain of the track and cross country team with his good friend George Ott. After graduating high school, Jim went on to college at the University Of Maine where he was a member of the U-Maine track team.
While in college, Jim competed in several dualathalons, mountain bike races and half marathons and was a member of “Jacks Wild” a rock band comprised of runners from the University Of Maine track team. Jim was also assistant coach of the Bangor High School track team during his final year of college in Maine. In addition to all these activities, Jim managed to make the Deans list along with receiving the presidential award with honors. Jim received his Bachelor of Science Degree from the University Of Maine in just three years. Upon returning to New Jersey, Jim entered post grad school at the College Of New Jersey, for Education Administration, maintaining a 4.0 grade average.
Jim’s last big accomplishment in life was completing the N.J. Marathon with a time of 2:54:11, which qualified him for the 2007 Boston Marathon. Jim will be at the Boston Marathon in spirit and so will some of his family and friends along with five wonderful individuals from Lockheed-Martin Corporation in Fort Worth, Texas. They are running as a team honoring Jim with his picture silk screened on their uniforms. We will always have a very special place in our hearts for them.
We lost Jim resulting from a tragic automobile accident that occurred on May 6, 2006, Two days after Jim’s twenty-second birthday and one day after his mother’s birthday. The bouquet of roses he gave his mom before dinner on the night before the accident remains a treasure in our family curio.
After the 2006 5K race, a tree was dedicated to Jim on the trail located between the children’s playground and the wooden bridge in Veterans Park. Jim must have run past this spot well over a thousand times. The plaque under the tree reads “make your own path and others will follow”. To us it is also a tribute to his many wonderful friends from both New Jersey and Maine, some of whom would have never met each other if it were not for Jim.
Jim’s favorite movie was “Prefontaine” based on the life of Steve Prefontaine who was an Olympic runner in the 1970’s from the University Of Oregon whose rule was “to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift”. Jim lived by this rule not only in his running, but in all aspects of his life.
Being Jim’s father and knowing him as I did, I saw him as a determined but humble person, always willing to help others. In Jim’s twenty-two years of life, he taught me more than I could ever imagine in my lifetime. He is truly my hero and this annual 5K race is a tribute to him.