ST. GEORGE, Utah — A 65-year-old St. George man battling Alzheimer's disease fulfilled his final wish by crossing the finish line of the St. George Marathon for the 40th time, with the help of his family and hospice care team.
Russell Bennett ran his first St. George Marathon in 1979, right before leaving for a mission to South Korea. He fell in love with the race and went on to complete 39 more marathons over the decades.
"He just fell in love with the St. George Marathon," said Deborah Bennett, Russell's wife.
But Russell's marathon journey became increasingly challenging as his health declined. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery in 2019. Three years ago, he received an early-onset Alzheimer's disease diagnosis.
"He just pushed through it. He didn't give up. He kept going and he kept running until this year. He lost the ability to run this year," Deborah said.
Through Community Nurse Services' hospice program that grants final wishes, Russell was able to make his dream come true. The organization has fulfilled various requests over the years.
"We've done helicopter rides, we've done airplane rides, car race car rides," said Kimberly Dansie from Community Nurse Services. "A lot of the most common wish is family dinner at home, so we often are helping families gather and providing food for them. This was complicated."
The complexity came from Russell's inability to run. A specialized chair was donated to the hospice for the occasion and was pulled by a family friend during the 48th St. George Marathon.
Russell wasn't alone in his final marathon. Several family members joined him, including his son Steven, who had never run a marathon before.
"So given that it is my first marathon, I thought it'd be really special to be able to have my first marathon be my dad's last marathon," Steven Bennett said.
While this year's marathon winner set a record Saturday with a time of about 2 hours and 14 minutes, another winner crossed the finish line about an hour later — Russell Bennett, completing his 40th St. George Marathon.
"I would say in the face of adversity and trials to keep going, stay strong, and never give up," Deborah said.
