So what's a little poison ivy?

I've known Bill about 10 years or so and somewhere along the way he became one of my closest friends. Sort of snuck up on me. But I think that's true of alot of us - we all came to call Bill a best friend. That was Bill - you couldn't just be his acquaintance, he always took the time to get to know you better than that - always included you in his adventures - and adventures they were. As one of Bill's running buddies, I can vouch for his spirit of challenge and fun - each run he led us on had a "twist." Whether pushing a physical limit (serious hills), a legal limit (disregarding the "no trespassing" sign) a health limit (ankle deep poison ivy) or finally just pure enjoyment (the Ellwanger Garden run). Bill challenged us to not forget to PLAY despite our busy lives, careers, families and adult responsibilities.  His boundless energy and enthusiasm was unique. Who else but Bill could organize and coordinate the Y-Tri, ODR freezeroo and perform in the Mercury Opera all in the same weekend? And this triple booking of events was not unusual but the norm for Bill. And the most amazing thing was he made it look easy! But the thing I will always treasure most about Bill was his unwavering ability to see the positive in both people and situations. I strive to emulate his gift to see the best in others and in life and in so doing reflect back to others their best selves. Bill will be part of every run, he'll be with me on every trail, and I'll always keep close his sense of adventure and fun. And I promise Bill to always risk the poison ivy for the wonderful adventure waiting off the beaten path.  - Joy Valvano, fellow odr & dawn patrol runner