REAL PEOPLE/Hero Athlete
Running to the Rescue
Gregory Spike put himself in harm’s way to help save a woman in danger
On his daily jog, Spike noticed smoke and ran over to investigate.
RUNNING IS MY church, my release. I didn’t start until I was 60, but I’ll sometimes go 15 miles or more a day. You see such beautiful country, and it frees you of whatever stress you’re facing. And when you run as much as I do, you see everything. I’ve spotted cougar tracks. On one trail, I kept running by what looked like a bottle cap. I finally picked it up, and it was a 1923 silver dollar!
But I’d never been in a situation like this. I was jogging up a bike path along the Willamette River near my home in Eugene, Oregon, and saw smoke maybe a quarter of a mile away. I thought, That’s not right. So I ran over there. It was pretty intense. Smoke and flames were coming out of Valley River Inn, which is where you go when you want a nice dinner. I never video anything, but I got out my phone and started to record.
Then I hear, “Help! Help!” There’s a lady on the second-floor balcony next to the room that’s on fire. She’s waving her arms and screaming. I tell her to get out of there, but she says the hallway is full of smoke.
I don’t know why, but I start saying, “Hit me! Hit me!” to get across the idea that she should jump toward me so I can break her fall. Next thing I know, she flies straight at me, and we both fall to the ground. What’s great is she was pretty petite, and neither of us got hurt. We both popped back up and got out of harm’s way.
My son put the video on Instagram, and it went crazy. The funny thing is, I’ve got 15 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, and none of them knew this side of their grandpa. Because of my upbringing or our old-school generation, if somebody’s in trouble, I know you don’t run away from it. Because life’s not always easy, you know? I was in the Army in Vietnam. I’m a recovering alcoholic, coming up on 33 years sober. Some days you wonder if you’ve still got what it takes to do something big—and then a moment like this one comes along and you say, “Well, I guess I still do.” —As told to David Hochman
Retired construction worker Gregory Spike, 75, lives in Eugene, Oregon, with his wife, Linda. He has run more than 15 ultramarathons.