Running Through History

I was a very good student in school and while I did the work required for each class through my years of schooling, history was never one of those classes I got excited about. But now that I am older and so much wiser (ha ha), I have a much deeper appreciation for history. It could be that a certain teacher in high school scarred me for life with an essay project on the subjects listed in the song We Didn't Start the Fire, but I digress...

My new-found interest in history all started many years ago with a simple television show called Band of Brothers, the story of Easy Company and their battles in World War II Europe. I was just fascinated with the stories and started reading about WWII and found myself watching old WWII movies like Patton, Bridge on the River Kwai along with modern day tales like Inglorious Basterds.

Then I moved into a Civil War phase and it only deepened my interest in my own personal family history with the Civil War. My great x howmany grandfather and his brother were prisoners of war at Andersonville Prison (Camp Sumter) in Georgia. Both are buried in the Andersonville Prison Cemetery. What makes this story even more interesting is that of all of the graves in Andersonville Prison, there is one grave that differs from the rest-nearly 13,00 graves-and that would be the head stone of my ancestor, Corporal Lewis S. Tuttle, who died as a POW on November 30, 1864 . There is a white marble dove atop his marker and no one has ever solved the mystery as to WHY there is a dove. 

This is a picture of the dove and head stone, photo from NPS.gov

A couple years ago my parents made the trip down South and to visit Andersonville along with other historic Civil War sites through out the South.

This summer the mini-series Hatfields & McCoys came out on History Channel. I don't watch much television but being the geek I am, I watch several shows from THC and Discovery. When I saw the previews for this, I knew it was going to be DVR'd! I was familiar with the basic story about the decades long battle between the two families-the Hatfield and McCoy clans- that almost sparked a civil war between Kentucky and West Virginia. 

The movie was excellent and the story did not disappoint. I've actually watched this series two or three times. These people were flippin' crazy with hate for one another and I found myself reading about these batshitcrazy folks when I discovered there was an actual

HATFIELD & MCCOY MARATHON

...are you kidding me? I had to take out the list immediately and add this race to the "The List". This year it was run on June 9th and there is no date listed yet for 2013. If the 2012 date is any indication to when it is run, it will most likely be around the same time which is just after Quassy. How much punishment am I willing to put myself through? Quassy and then a marathon. In Kentucky and West Virginia?

A SHOTGUN start in the middle of the Food Mart parking lot? yes, please!

(here's a little video of Jeremy doing his first half marathon at the H&MM, pretty funny)

oh, wait. You mean, it gets even better than that?

Yes, it does. My friend Connolly sent me this link the the World's 15 Toughest Marathons. 

Well that pretty much sealed the deal and you can bet that THIS Yankee will be bringin' her butt down south to run this in the near future!

Another gem on there is the Blue Ridge Marathon (also on said list). Check it out.

Is there a Marathon there that you want to do someday?

Have you done any of the Marathons listed?
Is there an interesting race on your "list" of must do's?

Let's hear it!