Rich Holmes

Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, graduating high school in 1968. Received full scholarship to Harvard, skipping a year and graduating with a major in mathematics in 1971. Spent several years in fast food industry, primarily McDonald's, winning the "Archie" (valedictorian) at Hamburger University. Enlisted in the Army to become a medical lab tech in 1975, but was retained at the "schoolhouse" to teach math to other medical lab tech students who were failing out in the pre-calculator era. Met my wife-to-be as a medical lab tech student.  Was humiliated as the oldest and most unfit soldier in basic training. Went to Officer Candidate School 1977-78, and was commissioned as a 2nd LT the latter year. In a class of 250 candidates, finished first academically and last athletically.  Went to Airborne School but was dropped from the class in the second week for failing to keep up with the formation on the morning runs.  This humiliation began my running career, and I returned to and graduated from Airborne that same year, and together with my wife-to-be, we ran our first marathon in 1978. Stayed in the Army on active duty for 25 years, eventually retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel after a wide variety of assignments related to healthcare, including leading the team that built the worldwide automation of military health care data of both its healthcare facilities and its tens of millions of beneficiaries health records. Continued marathoning throughout, completing 79 marathons before retiring in 2000. Spent 5 years as a full-time military contractor supporting the Pentagon in administering and automating the health care system, leaving there in 2005 with about 150 marathons. Spent 11 years as a part-time self-employed consultant to the military healthcare system and its contractors, retiring in 2016 with about 550 marathons in 85 countries. Helped to found the Marathon Globetrotters and was active until the right knee required replacement in 2020 (though the TKR was queued until May 2021), having reached 770 marathons in 129 countries. Following the surgery and rehabilitation/therapy, was able to complete 55 more marathons (to 825) but no additional countries before destroying the other knee attempting (unsuccessfully) to jump over a gorge in a trail race in early 2023.  After being queued for surgery until December 2023, had a second total knee replacement, rehab, and therapy and begin marathoning again after 4 months in March of 2024. Currently teach personal finance as a volunteer to school children from 3rd to 12th grade in three North Carolina counties, while running 2 to 4 marathons per month and am again adding countries. (I was strictly a road marathoner for most of these 46 years, picking up trail racing about 15 years in and being inspired by Cheri Pompeo to also try ultra-marathoning after meeting her on the Inca Trail. Ultras and countries are roughly equal passions, as I now have 136 completed of each.)