Friends of Denny Rahtz who run the Flying Pig Marathon Sunday will have a special moment when they run through the intersection of Fourth and Scott streets in Covington.
Rahtz died at that intersection March 10 when he was struck by a vehicle during a run. Rahtz, 38, had run the Flying Pig five times and was training to run in the Boston Marathon April 18 for the first time.
The Boston Marathon is very difficult to qualify for and a bucket-list goal for any serious marathon runner. Runners need to meet a fast time standard but that doesn’t guarantee they will get an open spot.
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“It was really important,” said Rob Byrd, a close friend of Rahtz’s. “He was really proud of it. It’s an accomplishment no one can really take away from you. This was the first time he was able to get in. He was super excited.”
Rahtz and Byrd were friends and both lived in College Hill, where they would run a lot together.
“The day before the accident, he was fighting a couple of injuries,” Byrd said. “I asked him about his injuries. He said ‘It magically healed today.’ Forty days until Boston and he was super excited.”
Rahtz was a decorated marathon runner. His best time was 2 hours, 58.35 seconds in Carmel, Indiana, in 2021. He ran 3:08.22 at the 2021 Flying Pig in October.
Rahtz was likely not going to run the Pig after going to Boston, but Flying Pig day was one of his favorites.
He worked at General Electric, where there is a large running community. A couple of employees did run in Boston.
“Anytime you talked to him, he asked about you,” said Alex Gold, a coworker at GE. “He never liked to talk about himself. I don’t think anyone could make a better impact on the people around him than he did.”
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Byrd said Denny was always super positive
“He was passionate about running. He was always a good friend to talk to. Super positive, upbeat. He never complained much. He was always a good friend and a good listener. We had kids the same age, the same school. The main thing is we both loved running and it was good to have a good friend,” he said.
Byrd said he doesn’t have the strength to go to the accident site yet. The Fourth and Scott intersection is a busy thoroughfare and dangerous for any pedestrian.
“He was running on the sidewalk,” Gold said. “When something like this happens, there’s a tendency for people to think ‘He was doing this or that. This won’t happen to me.’ But with this situation, there’s no way you could say that. He couldn’t prevent it.”
Gold said the fear of being struck by a vehicle is always on runners’ minds.
“It’s really horrible,” he said. “We all had the mentality that it could have been anyone. He was just out for a run on the sidewalk. It was a horrible thing for him and his family. Sometimes you forget that this could just happen.”
Rahtz’s friends are trying to set up a memorial for him during the Pig, at or near the site of the accident. Those plans had not been finalized as of Thursday morning.
Byrd said he and his wife have the bib Rahtz was going to wear in the Boston Marathon and will give that to his wife when she’s ready.
Rahtz is survived by his wife, Sherry, and three young daughters, including an 8-month-old.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for his family.
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