Charles has known Shawn and Katie for over eight years. At the time, all three of them worked for Pili Pili in Chicago. Charles says that he and Shawn were friends the day Shawn walked in the restaurant. They went from hanging at work to going out and sharing a mutual love of live music. Charles would often watch Shawn perform with his band or they would go catch a show together. Almost as an added bonus, Charles got to see two of his close friends fall in love as Shawn and Katie dated and eventually married. Even after Charles moved to NYC he remained close with Shawn and Katie, often visiting or staying with them whenever he was back in Chicago. Charles likes to think that two years ago when Shawn and Katie named their little girl Charlie that it was in honor of him. This is still up for debate.
The story of the marathon idea has already been told. The reason Charles feels he has to do it has not. Charles said that Shawn was a great man in every sense of the word. Clearly admiring what a great friend he had in Shawn, Charles knew that he had to do something. He said Shawn always did the right thing and this time it was Charles' turn. And the rest is a drunken night in history.
