Mason ChilmonczykPaul Hough won the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon in 1987. He was in the military, stationed at the time in Hampton, Virginia.
His son Brandon came from Dayton, Ohio, and finished second Saturday in the Veterans Day weekend race at Fort Oglethorpe – and could have won if not for his good sportsmanship.
The winner instead was 25-year-old Mason Chilmonczyk of Atlanta, running in only his third marathon. He was second last year in the Battlefield Half Marathon, which includes one loop through the national military park. The marathon incorporates the loop twice, and Chilmonczyk headed toward it for a third time.
“It was early in the 25th mile. He was 30 or 40 meters ahead of me and I saw him make a wrong turn. He was going to take the loop again. He was going to make it an ultra,” said Hough, who yelled to Chilmonczyk to let him know his mistake.
The appreciative Georgia Tech doctorate student cut across “basically a ditch” through weeds and mud to get back on the right course and later told Hough’s mother what a fine son she has. They ran together most of Saturday’s race.