Ernie Peel

• Runner of twenty-two marathons since turning 50 years old
  

• Leader of the popular John’s Striders running group in Lexington

• Recipient of 2011′s Most Encouraging Kentuckian Award

The man has certainly accomplished a lot, there is no doubt. But the most revealing part of Ernie Peel’s inner nature? That he comes to tears when he shares stories of all the other runners (new and seasoned, both) he’s trained with along his way.

Like when Lexington’s Angela Cobb aimed her sights on beating the almighty 2:00:00 in Marshall University’s 2009 Half-Marathon in Huntington, West Virginia. A goal nearly every half-marathoner aims for at some point in their lives.

Ernie ran the full, while Angela gave it her all for the half-marathon. And as fate would have it, Angela entered Marshall’s famed football stadium, the last 100 yards, just as Ernie was completing his own first 13.1 miles. Meaning… he was able to overhear Marshall’s P.A. announcer call out Angela’s name – and official finishing time of 1:59:39!

All of that year’s work, all of those training runs, all those early mornings. All of those struggles along the way.

And then… mission accomplished!

Or when Lexington’s Jennifer Schilling trained for and ran her first half-marathon in Asheville, North Carolina (smack dab in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains). Who was there, every step of the way?

You guessed it. Ernie.

Even more recently, again at the Marshall University Marathon – only this time in 2011 – Ernie drove all the way from Lexington to Huntington and back just to cheer on first-time marathon proteges Casey Nichole Hill and Lisa Broome-Price (who, by the way, lost 24 lbs. in the summer & fall of 2011 just by running with Ernie). And when each embarked upon the final 100 yards of their 26.2 arduous miles, you’ve never seen a louder, prouder “father” in your life. It was if Ernie had seen Santa Claus, he was so elated.

In his own words, “I’m not a typical runner. I don’t care about being remembered for running a 1:15 half-marathon. My favorite parts of running are the memories of running with all the others.”

How does it get any better than that?