LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Many of us run for our health, but Bernie Cornett does it because….
“I enjoy it. Don’t have anything else to do. For recreation.”
I asked how long he has been running.
“66 years!” he cheerfully responded.
Bernie runs as much as four times a week, rain or shine, running for his faith.
“My cap says ‘Run For God.' T-shirt says 'Run For God.' I’m very very very sincere about my worship. And He keeps me going. I’ve survived cancer twice," says Bernie.
And there he was on Saturday, next to his friend – and hero – Leo McMillan. Telling us a story of how Leo came to his rescue during a race some 15 years ago when Bernie was running after receiving chemo during his battle against cancer.
“I felt a couple of huge hands grab me. He got after me and said ‘what in the world are you doing out here, Bernie?’ I said ‘I’m too dumb to know any better, Leo!’ So he helped me across the finish line. He didn’t let me fall," Bernie recalls.
“We was almost at the finish line, so we just helped him across," adds Leo.
The two met while running so long ago that they’re not even sure when.
“30, maybe 35, 40 years, I don’t know," says Bernie.
“Same age group, so we’re competing against each other," says Leo. “Back and forth, all the time. It’s fun. Bernie’s a nice guy.”
Leo has been at it for more than 40 years, even though recent health concerns have forced him to work at a slower pace. He started by participating in what his then-boss called the “Employee Olympics.”
“(The) July the 4th Run downtown was part of the Employee Olympics. So I joined in that one and thought ‘Hey, this is not that bad!’” says Leo.
He liked it so much that he went out and did a Forrest Gump…sort of.
“I was the first person to run a race in all 120 counties," says Leo. “I just sat down and got me a calendar and map and started mapping it out.”
Today, the location doesn’t matter nearly as much as the company they keep.
“He’s a year older than I am and we’re always in the same age group," says Bernie. “We just like to run together. We’re brothers! Simple as that.”
