[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 22]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 30447]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DR. RICHARD SHEEHAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 7, 2007

  Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dr. Richard 
Sheehan on the completion of his 50th marathon by the age of 70. Dr. 
Sheehan reached this goal at the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, 
DC. An impressive achievement for anyone but even more so for this 70-
year-old dentist from Orchard Park, NY, who didn't start competing in 
marathons until 1986.
  A self-proclaimed ``accidental runner,'' Dr. Sheehan began running at 
the age of 48 when a grieving family member needed his support. With 
only 8 weeks of training before reaching the starting line for his 
first Marine Corps marathon, Dr. Sheehan helped his brother-in-law 
through a difficult time while discovering his love for long-distance 
running. After completing more marathons, Dr. Sheehan set a long range 
goal of completing 50 races before turning 70.
  This determined dentist has now run 12 Marine Corps races, completed 
marathons in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, as well as Cleveland and 
Chicago, and once, in Boston.
  Running is a family event for the Sheehans, and 16 family members and 
friends joined Dr. Sheehan in DC for the occasion. This is the 10th 
year in a row that Dr. Sheehan has participated in the Marine Corps 
Marathon but none, I'm sure, as memorable as this one in which four of 
his children ran portions of the race with him as he completed number 
50.
  Congratulations and best wishes for continued success to Dr. Dick 
Sheehan for setting and reaching his goal. What began as a run to help 
a family member has become a remarkable accomplishment that should 
inspire us all to pursue our goals with devoted persistence.

                          ____________________