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67-year-old Fil-Am runs for victims and heroes of 9/11
THEY call him Captain America. Filipino-American Jose Nebrida will run his 166th marathon when he participates in the Los Angeles Marathon on Memorial Day, May 25.
The 67-year-old former social worker and school administrator from Chicago will be wearing his stars and stripes tights and "50 marathon and DC" t-shirt. And like years past, he’ll be carrying the American fl ag while he runs the 26.2-mile race.
Nebrida, a short Filipino with sterling gray hair and dark eyebrows, started the tradition of carrying the American flag while he raced after the infamous September 11, 2001 attacks on America. His goal is to run carrying the fl ag in all 50 states.
"I’m still doing it," said Nebrida, now a track and fi eld and Cross Country coach at Northside College Prep High School. "I’ve done 35 states now and hoping to fi nish it in two years."
Running with the fl ag and recognizing the victims and heroes of 9/11 were also his way of paying back for what the US has given him.
Nebrida is originally from San Juan, Rizal in the Philippines. He immigrated to the US in 1975 when he was accepted to pursue his Masters degree in Social Work at the Loyola University Chicago. After fi nishing that degree, he completed two more Masters degree in education, he said.
Working as a social worker and serving as a school administrator for the gifted, it seemed that all was well. He was living the American dream—married with children and owning a home.
However, inside he felt down and depressed.
He admits during that time he was living an unhealthy lifestyle. He smoked two packs of cigarettes a day, ate horribly, and was drunk every weekend. He knew his family had a history of heart disease. His marriage was collapsing and he was neglecting his children.
The final tipping point happened when Chicago police officers went to the home to escort Nebrida out. He had a heated verbal exchange with his former wife, which led the latter to call the police on him. As he was walking out, he remembered seeing his two young teenagers. "Both of their faces had a lot of pain and suffering," he said. He lived briefly in his car for nine days, brushing his teeth and washing up at a nearby McDonalds.
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