A July Fourth Kind of Tough

Some people sleep in on the Fourth of July. Gerardo Rivas ran a 5K.

This morning, on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Gerardo laced up and ran the Rockford Park Firecracker 5K in Wilmington. Temperatures were already climbing by race time. He finished 10th overall out of 75 runners, 3rd in the M 50-59 bracket, at 58 years old, with a chip time of 23:13.

The course winds through Rockford Park, one of Wilmington’s most storied green spaces. Just down the road sits Gibraltar, a landmark estate that represents exactly the kind of historic property Eastern was built to care for. Gerardo runs these streets. He also works them. That is not lost on us.

This is the second race we have covered this summer for Gerardo, and it will not be the last. He competes at distance too, half marathons and beyond. The 5K is the warm-up act.

He wore Eastern gear. He earned a medal. He was home before most people had their coffee.

At 58, on a holiday, in the heat, Gerardo Rivas is still showing up and finishing strong. That is exactly the kind of person we want on our crews and in our corner.

Happy Fourth. Congratulations, Gerardo.