Running For Greg

Race day pics

As promised here are some race day shots. Take a look at the picture of the girl running in the bikini. It was about 35 degrees that morning, and the wind was blowing at 20 plus MPH. She was truly hard core. Scroll down to the bottom to see the race day pictures, courtesy of Greg's uncle Mr. Pete Collins. A special thanks to Greg's buddies from VMI who provided green beer for us at the 22 mile mark. It made the last few miles much better. Semper Fi, TGC.

The race is over

Dear all, Shawn and I finished the race. It was not pretty, and we certainly did not set any land speed records (4hrs 25 min) but we finished strong. More importantly, we bested our fund raising goal by over 1,000 dollars...and it continues to grow. I am keeping the PayPal link active on this blog, and will continue to cut checks to Greg's fund as the money builds up. My cousin Adam Fogarty in Nebraska is going to convert the filming of the check presentation to digital format for me. As soon as that's done I will post it. I also have several pictures taken by Greg's uncle Mr. Pete Collins. I will post those as well. Thanks again to all of you who gave. Semper Fi, Tommy.

The final tally

Dear all, I am leaving for the race tomorrow. I made a 19 mile run on March 2nd, I am feeling very confident about the race. Even if catastrophe strikes, it does not matter because we smashed our fund raising goal. Each member of Team Wright had a goal of raising 2500 dollars per runner. The Marines of the Infantry Officers Course (IOC) 5-96 (Greg's class) fielded two runners, myself and Shawn Blodgett. The Marines of IOC 5-96 and their friends and family, raised a whopping 10,555 dollars for Shawn and me. I would like to give a special thanks to my cousin Dr. Ted Fogarty, who donated 1000 dollars in the name of Mary Beth Fogarty, and my brother-in-law Eddie Leonard and his brother Bob, together they donated nearly 1000 dollars in the name of Yvonne Leonard. No matter what the outcome in the race, everyone who has contributed has done a great thing for a great cause. Those who knew Greg will tell you he was truly one in a million. I am presenting the check to Mr. and Mrs. Wright at a party in Greg's honor on Saturday (March 17th). I am going to film it and post it to the blog so all of you can see the joy you helped bring to the Wright family. Semper Fi, Tommy.

All...Training hit a small setback with a foot problem, but should be corrected Tuesday with new orthodics. We have raised over 6K to date, but still pushing hard for 10K. We are in the final stretch, get anyone you know who will dontate involved. Semper Fi TGC.

Hello all, just a quick update. We are over $3500.00 to date, with commitments for more donations coming all the time. For those of you who do not feel comfortable donating over the net, you can write a check to me and mail it to:
63 Second St
Newport RI, 02840

The training is going well... I have a 15 mile run this Friday... I will post how it went. Semper Fi!

Dear all, on March 18th 2007 I will be running my first marathon. People run marathons all the time and ordinarily this is no big feat, to which I would agree. But in this particular instance I am running for an extraordinary individual and his family.

Greg Wright Jr. made the ultimate sacrifice for his country in Iraq last year, and is a true hero and a patriot. I met Greg almost 12 years ago at Marine Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia. We did our first year of training together, and were roommates at the Infantry Officer's Course. We also did our first tours together at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Greg was a great Marine and a great friend. Greg loved good times and was truly happy when he was around the people he loved. He never met a stranger, and I will always remember him for his gregarious and fun-loving personality.

I also had the privilege of being stationed in Greg's hometown of Virgina Beach, where I got to know his parents. Greg Wright Sr. and his wife Joan are two wonderful people, who took me into their home like I was one of their own.

I would like to honor Greg and his parents by raising as much money as I can for his scholarship fund. If you would like to read more about the scholarship, head to their WEBSITE. Whatever money you can give would be most appreciated.

Thank you and God bless, Thomas (aka Tommy, Fat Tommy, FTC, Horse, Fat Bastard, Claymore, and any other nom de guerre I have been called or left off this list for the sake of decorum).

http://www.gregwrightjrmemorialfund.org/