As I mentioned earlier, I’ll be running in a 5K tomorrow as some early preparation for the AJC Peachtree Road Race. I’m grateful to have some friends joining me – I simply asked if they could be there at the finish line, but they went ahead and registered to participate. I actually teared up when I learned they were doing that for me.

Friends, family and other athletes often serve as inspirations for newbie and veteran runners. I have a few for sure.

But I want to briefly talk about one local man who inspired many, according to his friends. That’s Bob Loewenthal. A volunteer coach for the Atlanta Track Club, Bob is a veteran runner, having completed several AJC Peachtree Road races and marathons, including Boston, Chicago, New York and the Publix Georgia Marathon. He ran the Atlanta Half Marathon last Thanksgiving at age 80.

Bob had already registered for the AJC Peachtree before he fell ill. He passed away last week. His Stone Mountain neighborhood has organized a one-mile walk tomorrow, and his son will participate in the AJC Peachtree this year in his honor.

“He would always coach you: keep your feet right under you, make sure you’re going the straightest line because that’s the shortest,” said Joan Travis, a serial AJC Peachtree runner who contacted me about Bob.

The two met a few years who while they were both trekking up Stone Mountain, Travis said.

“I thought, well, he’s 70-something years old, and he’s out there running,” she said. “He was just an inspiration to so many.”

So - - who inspires you? Who’s the person helping you get to the finish line this July 4^th?