Name: David Lee Bernstein
Where do you currently live? West Philadelphia
How long have you been involved with Philly Achilles? March of 2015 and show up mostly every week.
How did you find out about Philly Achilles? I had always seen the green shirts at races, and thought the name was cool. Then my fantastic future wife told me what Achilles was all about, and that a lot of my friends were doing it. I came there one day, and it was absolutely fantastic. IS absolutely fantastic.
When did running become a part of your life? I’ve always sort of been a runner, since the day I was pissed at getting 3rd in the 50 yard dash in 3rd grade. I started running competitively in high school, ran track for a year of college, and have been road racing ever since. Ran my first marathon at the age of 22, and have ran 5 total in my life.
What do you gain from running? Exercise. Stress relief. My time to rock out to all the metal in the world. 95% of my social life in Philly. Amazing experiences. Wonderful people. The chance to feel like a P-I-M-P.
What is your favorite distance to run? In terms of racing, probably the 10 miler. It’s comfortably hard and you can keep pushing but not die. In terms of just running, it really varies. If I have run for a full hour, its usually been a good run!
What is your most significant accomplishment to date? Running the Franklin field bleachers in 21 minutes and change.
Who or what is your biggest inspiration? I am inspired by my parents, my amazing future wife, and George S. Patton.
What quality best describes your personality? I bust my ass. And I hug a lot. I have a high setting, a low setting, but no medium setting.
What do you do for fun or a hobby in your free time? I wish I still played my guitar. Mostly I play with my dog, read nonfiction stuff about war, or watch Game of Thrones. And I love to drink beer.
Do you have a favorite quote? “I suppose if we couldn’t laugh at things that didn’t make sense, we couldn’t react to a lot of life.” –Calvin and Hobbes
What strength do you bring to the Philly Achilles chapter? I am always down to guide or help, and do my best to come with a big ol’ smile. Basically, I want to contribute to the awesomeness that is already there, and hope that others enjoy having me there too.
What motivates you to keep coming back to the chapter workouts? It’s a great chance to help out and give back to a sport that’s given me so much. I have had tremendous fun running with different people, and now I get stoked whenever I see one of our athletes going for an awesome goal. For instance, Chris Lynch is now 33 seconds away from breaking 2 hours for the half. Running for others rather than yourself is an amazing feeling, and it stops me from fixating on myself all the time. Achilles is amazing!
If you were speaking to a prospective volunteer or athlete and could only convey one thing about Philadelphia Achilles what would it be? It’s pretty much the most fun you can legally have on a Saturday morning. No, but seriously, Achilles shows how much fun giving can be.