Carrying 30 pounds on his back and holding an American flag up high, John Gollner — who is also know to some as Veteran X — ran 45 miles for disabled veterans on Memorial Day.
- John Gollner, known as Veteran X, runs 45 miles for disabled veterans
- Gollner served 12 years in the Marines before retiring
"When I learned not to focus on what I cannot do anymore, but what I can still do, life just became amazing," he said.
Gollner said it's his third time doing the run, but Monday's was the longest. He started at 4 a.m. It's the people that keep him going.
"The encouragement really helps," he said. "It's like a physical boost."
Gollner served 12 years in the U.S. Marines. He said he had to retire when his vision started to fade.
"This flag flew 71 combat missions at Al Anbar Province when I was a helicopter crew chief," Gollner said. "I've carried it with me on every run, and it's got a lot of miles on it."
The flag will probably have many more miles in the years ahead.