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Giving Body and Soul

IBM i developer Aaron Bartell runs from the heart

 

For most people, participating in a road race is all about speed and stamina. For Aaron Bartell, it’s a way to serve the community using body and soul.

Bartell ran in the Aug. 2 Rock ’n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon to raise money as part of Team World Vision, a humanitarian organization that helps feed starving children. Bartell, a frequent contributor to this magazine and the IBM i community, is senior software developer for Krengel Technology Inc.

As part of his fundraising appeal, Bartell promised to shave different parts of his body—legs, armpits, chest, eyebrows, head—if his fundraising reached goals between $1,000 and $5,000. By the time of the Chicago race, he had raised $1,470, which called for removing the rather shaggy growth on his legs. He recorded the hilarious episode for posterity and posted it on YouTube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y16CJ4yX16c).

In Chicago, Bartell was bib No. 17759, finishing 2,494 out of 14,438 finishers with a time of 1:52:26. How did he feel after the race? “I’m tired,” he said, “and sore.”

 

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