Amidst the sound of footsteps, I heard a most unusual sound of something else hitting the pavement. I looked to my left and saw a young man with a brush cut not unlike one I wore in past life. This young man was missing his left leg and the unusual sound I heard was the sound of his prosthetic limb hitting the ground.
I chatted with him briefly. He is a member of the Royal Canadian Regiment (my old regiment) and he lost his leg just west of Kandahar about a year ago. I took a picture during the run.
The picture is of terrible quality however you can see that he has an artificial limb and from the angle of the photo you can guess one important point......he was ahead of me! This young man who lost his leg serving his country was leaving me behind. My right knee hurt....he doesn't have a left knee.
I wanted to ask to have a picture taken with him at the end and ask if I could blog about him. However he turned off as he was doing the half marathon. He was long gone by the time I finished.
I wanted to tell him that he cut a very inspiring figure. I suspect that he would have answered that he was just out for a run. He seemed that matter of fact in the few minutes I spoke to him before he left me catching his dust.
Perhaps I'll get a chance to talk to him again at the Army Run weekend in Ottawa. I had best get training if I want to keep up with him.
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