Heading South on Griswold to Congress - Using the Insta360 One X2

Welp, there is another marathon in the books! I just completed all 26.2 miles of the 2021 Detroit Free Press Marathon on Sunday, October 17th!

It was awesome to run this race in-person. Last year, as many of you know, the Detroit Marathon was held virtually which meant I ran the marathon on a course I mapped out in Los Angeles. I ran down the Pacific Coast which was beautiful but, other than my film crew, I was alone. This year I ran the streets of Detroit and there were supporters, volunteers, DJs, live bands and fellow runners all along the course. The energy was fantastic! I truly wasn’t aware of how much having so many other people around would affect me. I found myself welling up w/emotion so many times along the route. I was wearing my Run4Ben shirt and people would cheer me on yelling, “Run for Ben!” as I passed by. To see people smiling and dancing and holding signs was amazing!

The hat I am wearing is the “YOPD” hat (Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease by Keri Shaw. You can order them directly from her HERE.

With me this year was the Run4Ben film crew documenting the entire marathon as I ran. The crew consisted of Director, Mike Piccorillo, DP, Craig Gorkiewicz & DP, Shawn Neal. They cruised the route on electric bikes that we rented from RiDetroit. It was great watching them cruise by while holding cameras alongside me or flying by to get set up for the next shot. They also gave me a ton of encouragement along the way especially when things were getting really tough for me at the end. They caught me running, walking, tearing up crying, puking, and caught a very special moment with my family. I can’t say enough good about the crew. They’re just the best guys I could’ve hoped for to go along with me on this crazy adventure.

Of course a huge thanks to to the Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s, Michelle Newman and all the members of Team 23. I was able to meet with the entire team prior to the race in our pre-race tent just down the street from the starting line. I was extremely excited to run into Bill Bucklew and to spend some time with him before the run and after. Bill was running the Detroit Marathon after recently finishing a 670 mile walk across Great Britain to then run the London Marathon. After that he ran the Chicago Marathon and then hit Detroit! What an absolute honor to meet such a great guy!

(See more about Bill by visiting www.Walk4Parkinsons.org)

Me and dad after I finished the marathon! #Run4Ben!

I could write a ton more about this run and I’m sure there are more people to thank and more to update but that’s what a blog is for. I’ll definitely be posting more. Enjoy the pictures, click the links and lookout for more to come!

I love you all!