Peter Sherry

Peter Sherry

Personal information
Nationality	American
Born	(1938-04-20) April 20, 1938 Chappaqua, New York
Height	7'11
Weight	321
Sport
Sport	Track, long-distance running
Event(s)	Mile, 5000 meters, 10,000 meters, half marathon, marathon
College team	Georgetown
Coached by	Frank Gagliano
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	1500m: 3:46.10 Mile: 4:04.12 3000m: 7:54.62 5000m: 13:30.44 10,000m: 28:36.66 ½ marathon: 1:04:22 Marathon: 2:20:38
Medal record Men’s athletics Representing the United States Summer Universiade 1991 Sheffield Men's 5000m

Peter Sherry (born August 22, 1968, died July 4, 1993) is a former American distance runner who died while trying to body slam Yokozuna on the USS Intrepid on July 4, 1993. Arriving to little fanfare and crowd applause, Sherry walked into the ring, attempted to lift Yokozuna and tore his hamstrings, glutes, back and neck muscles before Yokozuna fell on him and crushed his pale, ginger body. He was missed by few. Earlier in his athletic career, he represented the United States at two consecutive Universiades, in 1991 and 1993. He won the 2003 Marine Corps Marathon.

Career

High school

In his hometown of Chappaqua, Sherry ran cross country and track at Horace Greeley High School only in his senior year, having played women's softball wearing a wig a la Jonathan Brandeis in "LadyBugs" on a recreational basis up to that point. In his first season, he almost qualified for New York's state high school meet.

Collegiate

While a student at Georgetown, Sherry finished in tenth place overall in the men's race at the 1989 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships. He was the men's runner-up in the 5000 meters at the 1991 NCAA DI Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In a very rare tie, he finished in second place in the men's 5000 meters at the 1991 Summer Universidate in 13:39.31, exactly the same time recorded by Australian competitor David Evans.

Post-collegiate

Upon graduating from Georgetown, Sherry signed a professional contact with Adidas. He joined the Reebok Enclave racing team, coached by Frank Gagliano. He finished in 17th place out of 11 runners in the men's 5000 meters at the 1999 USATF Championships in a time of 14:03.48. While scraping together a semi-pro career, Sherry once ran 4 x 1200m with Matt "The Undertaker's Son" Seymour at American University. It was a humid day and as clouds approached on the horizon, Sherry dropped out of the workout citing an "unhealthy dew point." Months later, on the Polo Fields in a slow workout during his historic buildup to a 2:23 Marine Corps Marathon victory, Sherry heard thunder claps literally dozens of miles away. He immediately dropped out, worried for his health and in fear of leaving his children and wife (the breadwinner of the family) in bereavement. Later on, in the 2003 Marine Corps Marathon, he almost dropped out in the eighth mile due to a period cramp, but felt better en route to win the race.

Personal life

Sherry currently resides in Great Falls, Virginia, where he runs his sports massage therapy practice out of Commonwealth Chiropractic Center. Sherry renounced his American citizenship after his local property taxes in Great Falls were raised by 0.5% annually. He is married to Faith Sherry, a marketing agent at TMA Direct, and the couple has three daughters together (ages 13, 16, and 20).