“A Race to Remember”
The 24 th Annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
May 21, 2024
I will always remember April 19, 1995. I had stopped at a co-worker’s house midday to deliver some typing and she encouraged me to come in.
“Come see what is happening in Oklahoma City!”
On the TV were scenes from Oklahoma City of the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building near the office where I worked in my early 20’s. That morning, Timothy McVeigh parked a rented Ryder truck in front of the building in downtown Oklahoma City. Inside was a powerful bomb. It consisted of agricultural fertilizer, diesel fuel, and other chemicals. He got out and locked the door. He then headed to his getaway car. At 9:02 am, the bomb exploded. The nine-story building became rubble and other buildings were damaged or destroyed—over 300—and 168 people were killed.
That evening, I got a call from my parents in Georgia. My cousin, Kenneth McCullough, a special agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration, was in the building at the time of the bombing and they were searching for his body. Three days later, Kenny was found, and I went down with my family to attend his very memorable funeral. In 2001, Runner’s World Magazine advertised the Inaugural Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. I was encouraged to run by my coach. This race has become an important event for me though I have not made every year’s race as I had hoped to do.
I had Kenny’s picture printed on the back of the shirt I wore for the inaugural race.
This couple saw my shirt as I ran by and stopped me to tell me they knew Kenny. I took their picture with my disposable camera and ran on!
Laura, Don, his daughter Kristy, Rebecca, and I traveled to Oklahoma City, wondering if we would get to run the race. The weekend had dire predictions of thunderstorms. I woke up early the day of the race and saw lightning. However, the sky cleared for the race, and we only experienced a gentle rain at the end.
We made it to the Sunrise Service—at 6:00 am—held at the Survivor Tree—a 100+ year old American Elm. The tree survived the bombing though the bark was imbedded with glass and debris. It represents the resilience and spirit—of Oklahomans and those who will never forget.
Each person who died is represented by a chair, arranged according to the floor where the person worked. This is a stirring view of the lit chairs in the early morning.
Their final prayer is one of my favorites—one I pray over my daughters when we say goodbye:
“May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
We walked to the starting line with over 7,000 runners. A beautiful tradition is the opening ceremony and 168 seconds of silence for the 168 who died.
The course took us through beautiful parks and homes with flowers blooming and neighbors out to have a good time. This was a highlight of the race—large groups of neighbors with children playing and music going and snacks, even margaritas if you dared, to cheer us on. This is one facet of the race that I love—the hospitality—and it gets better every year. To me, it shows the power of encouragement. As we run our life’s race, the cheers and joy of others makes all the difference.
Finish line!
My faithful family was there to cheer me across the finish line, though they had finished much earlier. I finished 4th out of 11 women in my age group, 75 and above!
Kenneth McCullough was only 36 when he died, but he had had an illustrious career. His picture and bio at the Memorial Museum states “he dedicated himself to serving his nation from the day he entered college as a member of Texan A&M University’s prestigious and renowned Corps of Cadets.”
Kenny’s chair.
His wife, Sharon, is quoted: She said the best word to describe Kenneth was “honorable.”
“He was always telling our son, ‘If you have no honor, you have nothing,’” she said. “Honor is the only thing that cannot be taken away from you.”
