Kyle Butler, a 26-year-old cross country athlete at Florida Southern College, is older than his coach.


Butler, a junior, is older than his coach because after dropping out of college he enlisted in the Army. He served almost four years, including a tour in Afghanistan. This fall he's back to school and coached by Ben Martucci, a former high school rival who appears to only be able to grow the lower half of a beard.

While Martucci was buying bottled water, Butler was wringing sweat from his uniform directly into his mouth

While Martucci was playing X-Box with one of those silly headsets, Butler was in a Humvee playing spot-the-IED

While Martucci was talking to his parents on the phone about how they just didn't understand, Butler was talking to a piece of bar soap he'd carved into a primitive figure and named Hank, which he stored under his cot

While Martucci was sleeping until noon, Butler was also sleeping until noon, though he'd been awake on post until 8 a.m., dipping instant coffee that came from an MRE to stay awake


This fall Butler and Martucci will have plenty to catch up on as the Moccasins open their cross country season.

[Runner's World]