On October 18, 2009 during the Detroit FreePress Marathon/Half Marathon, the unbelievable occurred. We, a family of runners and walkers, lost a friend and family member - Rick Brown. As a club, Rick was invaluable. Most of the members of River City Runners and Walkers Club look to Chip Allman, president of the club as our leader but Rick Brown was our spirit. He was my go to guy.  I often asked Rick,  should I race? should I take it easy? should I run? Often Rick just ran with me. Rick was an inspiration to many folks and will be dearly missed. Rick's wife of 45 years has been a rock. When we should be taking care of her, we found her comforting us at the viewing and funeral. I can't imagine the loss she is feeling but my heart goes out to her and Rick's family. I hope to fill my blog with Rick stories in the coming days and weeks and I invite you to share a Rick story with me. I don't want to say good bye to my friend I want to share and celebrate his life.