About Walter
Walter Burgess was
“Running’s Everyman.” Walter completed his first Boston Marathon
in April, 1988 and was to run over 26 marathons and countless running
races and triathlons of varying distances. Walter loved to run for the
pure joy of running. He was modest about his own many accomplishments
and was the first one to support others’ goals and efforts in their own
running. He was very active in his running club (Parkway
Running Club), and worked as the club secretary and newsletter
editor.
A loyal American, he
served four years in the U.S. Navy and worked for the Federal Post
Office for 16 years. An avid traveler, he visited China, Vietnam,
Thailand, the Fiji Islands, Australia, New Zealand and London, to name a
few. These trips were often related to some running event he would be
participating in.
In 2003, he was training
for the
Great Floridian Ironman Triathlon in honor of his 40th birthday.
Regretfully, he didn’t have enough vacation time and wasn’t able to come
to the
Newport Running Camp
for the first time in 10 years. He was missed, and he promised he would
be at the camp in 2004 to rejoin the group.
In 2003, Walter
successfully completed the Ironman Triathlon he was training for on
October 25th, 5 days after his fortieth birthday. He swam 2.4 miles,
biked 112 miles and ran a marathon-26.2 miles-in 15 hours, 46 minutes,
and 32 seconds. His Dad and eight members of his running club went with
him to cheer him on. He persevered through the swim, completed the bike
and actually looked forward to the marathon!-because running was his
strongest event and he enjoyed running marathons.
Within a week following
this event, he was already talking about signing up for another Ironman
triathlon the following year to see if he could improve his time! He
radiated total happiness with his accomplishment of completing the Great
Floridian Ironman in honor of his fortieth birthday.
Without warning, Walter
suddenly passed away on November 10. He left a devoted family and
friends behind-and a void that will never be filled.
We dedicate this race to Walter Burgess
Running's Everyman, A tribute to a runner who
made the sport better
By Don Allison, December 2003
