A U.S. serviceman who was told he would never run again after he was injured in Iraq completed his goal of running 10 marathons in five weeks.
Randy Woodward was wounded in his second tour of Iraq when he was hit by a roadside bomb in 2005, earning him a Purple Heart, WTVF-TV reported. His leg, knee, spine and neck were damaged in the bombing.
More than 10 years later, he’s not just running but inspiring others along the way, and he has the metals and weathered running shoes to prove it.
“I’ve logged a lot of miles over the last few weeks,” he told WTVF.
When Woodward runs, he carries an 8-by-5-foot flag that he fashioned himself on a telescopic pole.
“I just wanted to run with the flag, show my patriotism toward the country,” he said.
On Nov. 18, Woodward rounded out his 10th marathon in Nashville, his American flag waving high in the air as he crossed the finish line.
Woodward has completed marathons in Kansas City, Des Moines, Lexington, Virginia, Arlington, Virginia, Savannah and Bowling Green.
In each city he travels to, his marathon completions are met with thunderous cheers.
“I got just an outpouring of support from people,” he said.
He’ll forever look at the feat as an accomplishment he always knew he could achieve, even if doctors initially didn’t.
“It’ll just be something to look back on and just say, you know, you did it,” he said. “You finished it.”
(H/T: WTVF-TV)