​VETERAN SID BUSCH to honor HEROES at Rolla 10K

​VETERAN SID BUSCH to honor HEROES at Rolla 10K
By Marilyn Sweitzer, Special to the Phelps County FOCUS, Salem News, and Pulaski Weekly
Photo courtesy of Sid Busch
​
Sid Busch didn’t set out to become a sports celebrity. He’s been on television, was featured in Runner’s
World magazine, has 1,800 followers on Facebook, and won the US Presidency (unofficially); but Sid only
started running to keep his job. On November 18 th , Sid will be lining up to walk the HEROES 10K at Lions
Club Park in Rolla, alongside others wishing to honor our veterans and military.
The journey began, as Sid describes, “I was working as a seabee on a submarine. I only reached up to tap
a gauge,” when a disk in his spine ruptured. He was taken off the submarine in a helicopter in
“excruciating pain.” Following the injury, a Navy medical review board wanted to medically disqualify
Sid, but he offered them a challenge instead; if he could complete a marathon, then he could keep his
job. Sid did both, retiring from the Navy with 27 years as a Senior Chief Petty Officer (sonar technician)
under his belt.
That first marathon (which he finished in an impressive under 4 hour finish time) led to 202 marathons,
1,123 half marathons, and “more 10Ks, 5Ks, and other events than I can count” Sid says, and sparked a
mission to honor veterans and military. Sid is the unofficial ‘face’ of the Air Force Marathon after having
completed it ten times; he is a staff member for the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C.; and
still competes at 77 years of age, although “I just walk now.” In every event, Sid carries a flag,
representing fallen soldiers; he states, “in the beginning, one of my friends had the idea to participate in
various events with me, calling ourselves ‘Running for Fallen Heroes.’ We ran with the name of a fallen
soldier, then gave his family our shirt and medal at the finish line. At first, we started a website to
request names of soldiers to run for, but it wasn’t long before I was swamped” and the mission took on
a life of its own. At one of the bases, Sid says, he was nominated for president during the 2008
presidential election. “I ran against Obama on the (fictitious) ‘Running Party’ ticket, and I won!” Sid
chuckles.
Sid will be staying in the area two nights; he’ll be a speaker at the Pasta Party/EXPO on Friday evening in
Salem (free to HEROES participants who RSVP) then the next morning, will line up for the 10K with flag
in hand. Has he been to Missouri before? “Yes, once- I came for the Frog Hill Half Marathon in
Waynesville, but I got lost in St. Louis. This time, I’ve got good maps to get to Rolla!” Melissa Martinez-
Sharp, who coordinates Frog Hill and has been a HEROES Ambassador/Marathoner since 2016, linked

HEROES with Sid, who will be driving from Charleston, S.C. for the event. Sid says, “I will continue to
participate as long as it is fun for me, and as long as there are soldiers to honor.” He continued, “I think
that it should be required for every American to visit Arlington National Cemetery to visit the graves of
soldiers, most of whom were just kids (when they died). It drives home the message that ‘Freedom is not
Free.’” Sid states, “I think the National Anthem should be changed, from ‘o’er the land of the free, and
the home of the brave’ to, ‘the land of the free BECAUSE of the brave.’”
You can Honor our Heroes alongside Sid in the 10K; whether you register to walk, ruck, or run the full,
half, or relay marathons, the three mile 5K, or the half-mile Honor Walk (Honor Walk is between 12-
2pm) on November 18 th at Lions Club Park. Registration and details about the event may be found by
visiting www.heroesmarathon.com