Ultra Marathoner runs to raise funds for veterans injured in line of duty

Norfolk was the overnight stop of Justin Rowe, an ultra marathoner from Great Britain.  Rowe, a British Army veteran and retired firefighter, is running from Bar Harbor, Maine to the Marine Corps Memorial in Washington, DC to raise funds for his fellow veterans hurt in the line of duty.  His planned route had him running through Colebrook and into Norfolk, where he stayed overnight. 

The next day, he and his 30-pound cart were off, taking him along Route 44 into Millerton.  Before leaving however, he enjoyed dinner at the Wood Creek Pub and Grill, courtesy of the Norfolk Fire Department; and breakfast at the Berkshire Country Store.  While his schedule requires him to run 20 to 30 miles per day, he adjusted for the northwest hills and was planning to do 20 miles over the two days into New York. 

When asked what he found notable about Norfolk during his stop, he replied, “the buildings here (in the center of town) are unlike others that I’ve seen and the folks have been very kind and generous.”  After loading up his cart with a sandwich and Gatorade he stopped by the firehouse with 2^nd Assistant Chief Jon Barbagallo for a tour of the equipment.  He was complimentary of the equipment saying, “It’s nice to see your trucks in such good shape.  I see a lot of pride in your membership just in how clean everything is.”  

After that Rowe took off running along Route 44, with his next planned stop in Salisbury.

–Photo by Jonathan Barbagallo