Mike Burr, Frank LaCorte, and Gary Rivenson

Early Tuesday morning... New Mexico/Arizona border. Very quiet and a little unnerving start. AZ Coordinator, AA LAX 767 F/O based Ken White and just one lone runner; Steve Ochoa, a Clifton, AZ Fire Fighter. Fortunately, Mike, Frank, Gary, and Robin Jones, the LA Coordinator were at the border for the crossing. Steve ran a nice stretch of about 14 miles since we were short of runners. Mike and Frank threw in a valiant effort even though the plan was to put in a couple of miles and drive back to the hotel and go back to sleep, and then move ahead to coordinate down line logistics. Gary was just back to the Flag after running the New York City Marathon on Sunday. He wouldn’t run right now to catch a bus.

Arizona is called the Sunshine State, well maybe not... Florida thought of that first. But it’s something to do with the sun. The sun is everywhere; on the “Welcome to Arizona” sign, the state flag, etc. Except for where we were running. When we got here it was cold, breezy, raw and rainy. What’s up with that?... Before it’s overlooked... special thanks to Stave Case, who worked with Ken White in organizing the state. Steve came out of the hospital with his own illness and concerns for a sick grandchild to do an outstanding job in Arizona.

The run through Arizona came together quickly and by the time we got to Springerville, it was full steam ahead. We met a very noteworthy individual in Springerville. Gary Phillips came to see us at the Post Office with his dog Doogan. Gary is a disabled Vietnam Veteran who was staying at the same hotel as the National Team. He was very moved and emotional about what the Flag Run was doing. We later heard that he went back to the hotel, and after some thought, got his Purple Heart license plate and jumped in his pickup to drive out to the Flag Run to present it to us. An incredibly touching moment, and a sincerely nice guy... ..(Although the time between the last sentence and this one seems like mere seconds, actually many hours and miles of running have gone by.) We are now reporting from an important strategy meeting at the Under The Palms Bar and Eatery in Globe, AZ. Roll call at this important mid-afternoon meeting include; Mike, Frank, Gary, Robin, and the documentary film crew of Carolyn, Lucas, Karl, and Brett. Robin beat Gary at pool during one of the meeting intermissions. Gary and Mike beat Lucas and Brett. In losing, they will soon be filmed singing a rousing chorus of God Bless America, in two-part harmony. Oops, lost twice... two verses.

Frank and Mike enlightened the entire establishment with a non-contact, Flagrun version of Crud. Brett and Gary quickly acclimated to the game and proved to be slippery participants. The entire crowd was amazed how the game of pool, sans sticks, can become a contact sport. After a couple of pizzas, a couple of bruised knees, and several overtime points the game was iced 22-20. Some warm, local hospitality and a strong desire by the Globians to learn a new game, created a bond and an atmosphere of togetherness found in few cities along the journey.

Anyhooo... back to the Flag Run... The common opinion of everyone involved is that the small town support has been the most wonderful and memorable experience of everything that’s happened since Oct 11th. Arizona is no exception. After leaving Show Low, Arizona, named by a man who won a card game, the Flag proceeded down highway 60, through the Apache Indian Reservation and the foreboding Salt River Canyon. The canyon gave us almost as much coordination heartburn as the Holland Tunnel or Vicksburg Bridge. Permission to proceed on that route was never more than tentative until the final days due to Police escort and the precarious terrain at the Canyon. In retrospect, the Salt River Canyon was a breeze, even at night, especially for the National Team, which was still recovering at the Sleep Inn. We rejoined the runners near the top of the canyon... not by design but a blessing just the same. We had a difficult time driving up the canyon. (Unfortunate for all involved, we passed through here at night, as there is some of the world’s most beautiful scenery to be seen out here, much of which was missed in the darkness. Speaking of scenery, we did see perhaps the most spectacular sunset of a lifetime the previous evening outside Springerville.) But back to the Canyon... we were most fortunate to pick up a runner at the canyon; a 21 year old San Carlos Apache Indian named Elvis Delma, Jr. Amazing and unbelievable are two adjectives that barely describe Elvis’s contribution to a very difficult part of the run. The climb out of the canyon was a very steep 6 – 8% grade that went on for miles. Our rental cars weren’t too keen on the climb... Elvis took the climb without breaking a sweat or even breathing heavily. Then he ran for maybe another 30 miles! An amazing athlete. The much repeated line of the morning was, “Elvis, slow down!!” His father, Elvis Sr. was also a runner. His desire is to get Elvis Jr. into the New York City Marathon. We vowed to explore all avenues and connections to make that a reality for him. He says he’d probably run a 2:15 Marathon and I believe him. He’s an amazing athlete and a very humble and nice guy. Another runner of note; Scotty from the fire service, (sorry if we got that wrong). He ran with a smile on his face for countless miles. He was one of the few to give Elvis any kind of a challenge.

Phoenix was pretty worn out from the previous day’s World Series parade, but Mike made a point of letting the hundred or so locals at the State Capitol know that Gary is a NY Yankee fan. Paybacks are heck, or words to that effect. This was also the venue in which Brett and Lucas, with no notice, paid off the pool debt and led the crowd in a spirited rendition of God Bless America on live TV.

The National Team was reinforced in Phoenix by our Fly-Over Coordinator, Carl Braun. We all went ahead to Parker on the California border at the Colorado River. We can’t emphasize the warmth and hospitality of Americans all across the country, especially in small towns such as Parker. This was again evident during an evening briefing and strategy meeting at OB’s Irish Pub, which by the way had only one thing in evidence that was Irish; Danny Boy on the jukebox.. ... Big thanks to Scotty, (different Scotty) Captain of the Parker Fire Department for driving us back to our car after we (Mike) locked the keys in it... again. Ken White handed the Flag to California Coordinator Sven Davidson in the middle of the Colorado River Bridge. We have entered our last state. 18 down, one to go. Mike, Frank, Gary, and Carl returned to an important afternoon strategy meeting at a location recommended by Scotty the Fireman. Roadrunners Floating Restaurant and Bar on the Colorado was a perfect ending to a successful journey through Arizona. Thanks to all that made it happen. We’ll never forget you.

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