As many of you know, "back in the day" if the headline in Cycle News indicated that there were hundreds of starters at a tough enduro, or run, as John Penton often referred to them as, and there was only one lone finisher, that one lone finisher was John Penton.
It has probably been 5 months or more since during a visit with John that he looked straight at me and said " I don't know why I am still here! " My reply to John was as follows, "Well John, you always were one who wanted to finish a run". With those words, John's eyes lit up, and he got that John Penton grin from days gone by on his face, made a fist and swung his arm and said, " I guess so"!
At the September POG meeting, Jack Penton somberly informed us that his dad was nearing the finish line. I will always be convinced that John Penton willed himself to make the finish line of his 100-year run come hell or high water, as the saying goes. And truth be known, he had to make it through some hell and high water to get there.
As it is soon time to flip the page on the calendar, the October POG meeting is just around the corner. This Thursday October 2nd at 7pm, the Penton Owners Group will be meeting in the Jackpiner Room of the KTM office building located just west of beautiful downtown Amherst, Ohio. The first one since John's passing.
I am sure that if John could give us each a personal message, it would be for each of us to go on and finish our own "run", and to do the very best that we can. Thank you very much, John Penton.