Day 29: A bum knee didn't stop him

The power of the human spirit is a beautiful thing.  Edison Pena, one of the rescued Chilean miners, has exemplified this more than once in the last couple of months.  He was the miner, we learned, that would run 3-6 miles a day while he was trapped 2000+ feet below the earth.  Surviving 69 days in the tight space with his 32 coworkers.  And he just completed the New York Marathon yesterday...on a bum knee.

"The trouble started about an hour into the marathon, when a grimace crossed his face as he slowed a bit, apparently already in pain.  Cheered on by spectators and surrounded by supporters keeping pace, he kept running, his knee bound in black.  Shortly after noon, "The Runner" - as his fellow miners had nicknamed him - left Brooklyn and made his way into Queens, reaching the 14-mile mark of the race.  Suddenly, he left the course, going into a medical tent for help.  He emerged around 1 p.m., bags of ice tied to both his knees." NBC

He ran.  He finished the 26.2 mile course under his goal of 6 hours, finishing with a time of 5 hours, 40 minutes, and 51 seconds.   Perhaps it was a personal goal of his to be able to complete the marathon, but he achieved more than beating his 6-hour time frame.  He provided encouragement to people around the world who have watched his story unfold.  "I'm here because I want people to feel free," Pena said.  "I want them to strive for their own freedom.  That's why it was worthwhile for me to come this far to run a marathon. ...I struggled with myself, I struggled with my own pain, but I made it to the finish line."  Seattle Times

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