COLUMBIA, S.C. — If these were normal times, Greg Lintinger would have been miles into a marathon race in Wisconsin Sunday honoring his friend Latrell who has a disability.
Instead, and in Latrell's honor, he challenged himself to take the 26.2 mile walk around the streets of Columbia, after the coronavirus put the race on hold.
It was a fitting alternative, as the people in Columbia's audience were one of his main inspirations.
He's a dietary technician at the Babcock Center, which houses and supports people with disabilities.
"I started thinking in my head, what can I do to honor (Latrell), as well as my Babcock Center family," Lintinger said.
He planned his route with the center's in mind and with pom poms and signs of encouragement in hand, residents and staff at 10 Babcock homes cheered him on.
"Everybody's been outside waving signs, cheering, making noise and all kind of stuff, so it really touched my heart," Lintinger said.
Mellisa Hallbick, with the center, was among the crowd.
"I just feel a proudness in my heart to see somebody take their compassion and turn it into action and the impact that he makes as he goes to each one of our homes is just phenomenal. It touches everybody's heart," Hallbick said.
For Lintinger, it was a chance to uplift the residents he serves.
"We want our folks to eat healthier, we want them to move more and we want them to experience life more," Lintinger said. "So, I took that little bit of guidance and kind of did everything that I can to uplift the folks that we support and get them moving and motivated."
He added that he had not been able to see the residents as regularly because of the coronavirus, so it was nice to be able to interact with them again from a safe distance apart.