2. How did Matt Long's surroundings or people around him influence the way he went about his trials? “I had a tremendous support crew: family, the Fire Department and friends that wouldn't let me give up. But, I was also inspired by a stranger. I read a story about Fabio Slevig of Massachusetts. He was hurt as bad as I was about six years before my accident, and he was able to come back to sports. He told me some of the best things in his life happened after his accident. Fabio Slevig was a source of hope for me (Excerpt).” Matt never saw the improvements his was taking on his way to recovery meanwhile, his family and trainers always saw them. I think this shows that Matt is not satisfied by how far his has come but rather the determination to compete at the high level he was before the accident (Excerpt).

3. How do we define the personality traits of a hero? A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles (Christopher Reeve). A hero is a man who is afraid to run away (Heroes). True heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life, in whatever shape they may challenge us to combat (Heroes). A hero is one who thinks about failure but never succeeds at it.

4. Does Matt see himself as a hero or just an ordinary person that pulled through his own life difficulties? “I hope to be that source of hope to others having a tough time in life. I want to inspire others not to give up on challenges that life throws in front of them when they least expect it (Excerpt).” “I knew I had entered an event that I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to finish. It wasn’t just for me, but also to show that other people get hurt and that everything is possible”(Excerpt).

5. Does Matt ever think of giving up on himself? Or thinking what he is trying to accomplish is too overwhelming? “I think it's extremely important for kids to set goals for themselves; without goals, you will not move forward in life (Excerpt).” “We'd be glad to work with you, but you need to be realistic. Running seems unlikely based on your injuries. I scratched them off my list. Be realistic? They were making excuses before they had even met me. I needed help, not excuses (Excerpt).” But I never did. And now they want me to run. God, what if I can't do it? What if I go one-tenth of a mile and I can't go any farther? What if I fall? What if my right foot flops all over the place? What if I can't plant it? What if I can't run (Excerpt)? Long says some of his friends, concerned that he wasn’t physically ready to cover the 26.2-mile distance, tried to persuade him not to run New York in 2008. But an impatient Long persisted (Passion).

6. Does Matt have qualities of a hero or just a person that over came a trial with determination? Along with overcoming his trials, he also helps others overcome theres by the I Will Foundation he started (Passion). Matt overcame a trial with determination but he also overcame his own weaknesses in trying to fight through his traumatic experience. He didn’t listen to himself when he ever had a thought about quitting, he just kept pushing.

7. Works Cited "Excerpt from The Long Run: Runner's World." Runner's World: Running Shoes, Marathon Training, Racing. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2012.. "Heroes/Heroism Quotes :: Quoteland :: Quotations by Topic." quoteland.com - Quotations on every topic, by every author, and in every fashion possible. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2012.. "Passion Still Burns for New York's Bravest - NYTimes.com." New York City Marathon - On the Run Blog - NYTimes.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2012.. "Peter Robert Casey: Catching Up With Matt Long: Survivor, Firefighter, Ironman and New Author." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2012.. Reeve, Christopher. "A hero is an ordinary... at BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2012.. MLA formatting by BibMe.org.