Good guy, laid back, very good runner in his day.
Good guy, laid back, very good runner in his day.
From:
http://www.newsleader.com/article/20110104/OBITUARIES/101040333/1002/news01/Jason+A.+Long
(the original first post had the source incorrect).
January 4, 2011
EDINBURG — Jason Allen Long, 32, of Edinburg died Friday, Dec. 31, 2010, in a tragic airplane crash in Weyers Cave.
Jason is remembered by those who knew and loved him for his kind, loyal and generous nature. He derived great joy from being able to help others. Friends and family can recount many times that they were the beneficiaries of his graciousness and compassion. Jason was known for his infectious grin, mischievous twinkle in his eyes and spontaneous sense of humor. Though modest about his accomplishments, he was a free soul who lived
life to the fullest and chased his dreams until they became a reality.
This is a better link for the obituary as it includes a guest book:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nvdaily/obituary.aspx?n=jason-allen-long&pid=147601574&fhid=4299
More more links on the homepage:
*Fellow Runner Remembers Long As 'Good, Loyal'
*Wing Was Sawed Off After Collision With Medical Helicopter
*Crash Victime Loved To Fly
*MBoard Tallk About Long's Passing
*Friends Remember Men Killed (payment required)
I ran some great races with Jason and he always got the better of me. He was a great competitor and a real class act. My thoughts are with his family.
very sad news indeed. we had many great races and good times that i will always remember fondly.
Rip Mr Long. I didn't know him personally, but raced against him many times in college.
I met this young man once at running shoe store and talked to him. I live in Northern Virginia, but my hobby is hiking in the Blue Ridge and the Shenandoah Valley and enjoying the Valley's recreational offerings, from Staunton to H'burg to Luray and on to Winchester.
The focus of our discussion was on the unfortunate demise of the JMU's men's track program. Certainly not an upbeat conversation. But he was a pleasant and thoughtful fellow to chat with.
The obituary speaks volumes and really speaks well of him. The people of the Shenandoah Valley have deep attachments to it and are proud of their own. In this case, it appears their feelings are very justified. RIP.
(By the way, his high school accomplishments from a small Class A school in a tiny town in the Valley are worthy of mention - quite a set of accomplishments).
I had the fortune (or misfortune. I chased his school records but they were neigh unattainable, especially his 1:53 800m) of attending the same high school as Jason, albeit a handful of years after he graduated.
He was pretty much a deity of the running programs at the school, with coaches telling stories of exciting races and crazy finishes. I never met him personally, but from what I've heard, we lost a good one.
I was a member of the JMU XC and track team that was cut due to title IX. Winter of my freshman year (05) I was coming back off of an injury and illness so I was doing a lot of training by myself. Jason was in the area getting back into shape and we would run together once a week. He paced me through a 56:00 llama loop (JMU alum are all familiar with this staple 10 mile loop) in the snow and he talked about how he was becoming a pilot and wanted to make a career out of it.
That was the last time I saw Jason, I did not know him well but he certainly touched my life.
My thoughts and prayers go out to his family
I'm a former Virginia A runner, and his 1600m State meet where he was in last with like 600m to go and came back to win and set the former A record (before Guy Alton was around) is a video that my former HS coaches would show everyone once a year to show what determination and heart will get you. A great guy and runner...