You read that correctly: 50 Miles For Murph. Jeff Rondina and I, Freddy Rodriguez, will be honoring a True American Hero, Lt. (SEAL) Michael P. Murphy, his Team and all military servicemen and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. We are raising money for his scholarship foundation and hope to raise awareness to a great individual who served our country.
After participating in the Crossfit Hero WOD Memorial Day Murph last year, I decided to learn more about Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy, especially since he was a Long Island native. After reading up about Murph both online and his biography, Seal of Honor, I couldn’t help but look up to the man as both an inspiration and a hero. I also felt that more people needed to know about Murph and the sacrifice he made for his Team and Country. On June 28th, 2005, Murph and the 3 members of his Reconnaissance SEAL Team became compromised during a mission. Completely outnumbered, with one man down and the rest wounded including himself, he decided to break from cover and run out into the open in order to receive a signal to radio for aid. Remaining calm, he made the call and proceeded to provide their location and even said, “Thank you, sir” to the responder. Murph would eventually succumb to his wounds but because of his actions, the lone survivor of the Team, Marcus Luttrell would be saved and the bodies of the 3 fallen soldiers were recovered. Murph would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions beyond the call of duty.
Jeff and I both feel that more people need to know not only his story about his sacrifice on that day but also the person he was before he was a SEAL. He lived his life for the better of others, always placing people’s needs before his. We need more people like Murph in the world and for the world to appreciate them more.
So why 50 miles? Honestly, why not? It is a small fraction what we will have to endure during this run compared to what Murph had to in order to become a Navy SEAL and serve our country, or what all our servicemen and women have given so we could continue live our way of life. The original distance wasn’t set but we wanted to start at a location of significance to Murph and/or the Navy. Not too many places like that on Long Island. After speaking to Kim over at Seal of Honor, we decided the starting point to be El Barrio’s Bravest Fire Department in Spanish Harlem. Murph wore the company’s patch during deployments to remind himself what he was fighting for, especially after the tragic events of September 11th, 2011. Our final destination will be Lake Ronkonkoma, where we will join the 29th Annual Run Around The Lake 4 mile run, which is being held in Murph’s honor. The run begins at 9:30am, Saturday June 22nd, 2013.
Jeff and I will begin our run at 9:00pm on Friday, June 21st from El Barrio’s Bravest with a goal of reaching Lake Ronkonkoma before the race officially begins. Our route is about 49.4 miles and the race is 4 miles for approximately 53.4 total miles to be covered in a little over 12 hours. This is our goal and we plan on completing it no matter what. If we don’t make it in time for the race, we will still be completing it even if we have to crawl.
We appreciate any and all support on our mission to honor Murph. We would love it if you could donate to our cause and to the Lt Michael Murphy Scholarship Foundation. Our goal is to reach $2,500 but any amount you can donate will go a long way. Also, if you are free and would like to join Jeff and I for the final 4 miles, please register for the Run Around The Lake 4 mile run. We will certainly be needing the extra push to finish up those last miles and truly will appreciate the support.
Donation page:
https://runsignup.com/Race/DonationTeams/Team/554/
Race Sign Up page:
https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/LakeRonkonkoma/NavySEALLTMichaelMurphy29thannualRunAroundtheLake