KiDSMARATHON Honored in Waterbury Memorial Day Parade

In 1976 Rod Dixon was an Olympic runner for New Zealand and was chosen to carry the Kiwi flag into the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada. A shoulder injury kept Dixon from actually carrying the flag, and he came in 4th place in one of the most dramatic 5000 meter races in history.

Thirty eight years later Rod Dixon had the opportunity to carry the New Zealand flag through the streets of Waterbury during a parade Saturday morning at The Gathering.

Dixon was in town to help celebrate his Kid’s Marathon program in Waterbury that will culminate with 1500 city kids completing the final mile of a marathon June 4th in Library Park.

“It’s been a life long dream to carry the New Zealand flag in a parade,” Dixon said Saturday, “and today, my dream came true.”

How cool is that?