A race worth finishing Published Jan. 4, 2012 By Col. James Davis Air Force Personnel Center Total Force Service Center-San Antonio Director RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- I was really looking forward to running in the San Antonio Rock n' Roll Half Marathon in 2011. I had just finished the Half Marathon for Adoption in Gruene, Texas, a few weeks earlier with a personal best time and wanted to compete with almost 100 runners from the Air Force Personnel Center here. More than 30,000 motivated runners packed the streets of downtown San Antonio, but for me, things didn't turn out quite like I had planned. I injured my foot a week before the event and then the warm, muggy weather on race day changed my goal to "just finish" and live to fight another day. By the third mile, I was sopping wet. At four miles, I started pushing fluids hard. I began to steadily lose seconds off my pace as each mile ticked off. I even started to walk during water breaks. It was just getting too hard. After passing the 10-mile marker, my definition of "too hard" completely changed. I looked ahead to see that I was gaining ground on a wounded warrior running with a prosthetic from the knee down. As I made my way up to him, I gave him an encouraging word and noticed he was running solo. I decided to stay with him and asked how he was doing. I received a reply to the effect that he was "getting there." I asked if he had a support team running with him, and when he said no, I asked if he would mind if I ran with him...one team, one fight. He acquiesced, and between running and some walking, I began to find out about this modest Army medic named Fabian who was running his first half marathon. Even though he was young, Fabian had been in the Army for a number of years. He told me he was originally from New Mexico and had been stationed in Alaska. When I asked what happened to his leg, he simply said without emotion, "wrong place, right time." We were within a mile of the finish line and the sun came on strong when he started to run again. Having run the race before, I forewarned him about the two hills before the finish line. He kept going, but at the turn to the first hill, I saw a determined look on his face. There were crowds of people lining the streets encouraging us as we completed the first hill and turned the corner for the second hill. Fabian's face looked a bit discouraged, but he dug in again and pushed to the top of the last hill. We finished strong and shook hands at the finish line. He thanked me for running with him and I said the same. I'm proud of the determination and perseverance shown by Fabian and all of our nation's wounded warriors and I'm honored to call them my brothers and sisters in arms. At AFPC, I get to see firsthand all the efforts we make to enhance the lives of our wounded warriors. Through the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program, we engage these Airmen through multiple avenues, from helping them recover from their injuries to returning to duty or transitioning into our civilian communities. Finishing the race with Fabian has been the one of the highlights of my athletic experiences. I thought I was the one supporting him, but in the end, it was Fabian who embodied the warrior ethos and taught me about battling through adversity and having the resolve and fortitude to accomplish the goals we set forth for ourselves.