Say Hello to Peter
Lived In: Connecticut
Birth Year: 1936
Resident Of: Spring Meadows
Happy-Go-Lucky. Tender Heart. Marathon Man.
Most Likely to Help a Friend Across the Finish Line
Quote: “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.”
Family, work, school, activities, achievements—by all accounts, Peter H. has had a good run. He found success in business, satisfaction as a family man, and a sense of purpose through serving his community. Life tended to go smoothly, but a late-in-life marathon career proved that the easy road is rarely the path to true satisfaction.
“Things always came pretty easily to me. My wife always called me “Lucky Pierre” because things seemed to go my way,” said Peter. “But the downside of that is that I didn’t bother tackling things I didn’t think I’d be good at. The marathon taught me that anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.”
He completed his first marathon in 1987 at 50 years old, and though he finished at the back of the pack, he was hooked—not just on running, but being challenged. He began to take community college classes, not because he needed to, but because he liked the difficulty of doing his best. He volunteered at a soup kitchen, daring himself to see things from a different perspective while also doing good.
Now, he’s the president of a resident committee committed to making positive change. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t, but every day he keeps trying. Because Peter believes that’s the best part.
“I’ve always had a great life and I still have one,” said Peter. “My motto is: a man’s reach should always exceed his grasp.”