Today I got to chat with Dave Scarpello, an 8 time marathoner with lots of halves under his belt. But his most incredible feat is his ability to share his battle with post traumatic stress disorder in order to help others going through the same or similar. After surviving an armed robbery, Dave was left with injuries to his back that required multiple surgeries. He suffered chronic pain afterward but managed to stay active. A few years later, though, he was hit by a drunk driver at a stop light and found himself looking through a wheelchair catalogue and feeling like he was back where he started in recovery.

After years of chronic pain only subdued by Percocets that he would take like clockwork, he decided it was time to reclaim him life. He told doctors that he was done with pain medicine and was prepared for what was to come: withdrawals from pain and reinsertion into society. He never imagine he'd be back to such an active lifestyle, but he knew he was done with the life he was currently leading. And so he began exercising at the pool in his local YMCA. He found a sign up sheet for their 5k race and thought to himself, "Why not." (All great journeys begin with a 'why not,' don't you think?) After so many years of not running at all, Dave ran the entire 5k race. That was the moment he realized he was not a hostage to his injuries. He began running local 5k, and as many runners know, it's like the gateway to longer distance running.

Dave's story is incredible and his perseverance is inspiring. But what's most amazing about Dave is his desire to help others. Through his ambassadorship with Still I Run, Dave hopes to help others by sharing his story. He knows there are so many people suffering with PTSD in silence and he hopes that by being a voice for PTSD he can help them find their's.

If you want to reach out to Dave, he welcome emails at davescarpello@gmail.com or you can find him on Instagram at @davescarpello