Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Blind Marathon Runner - Inspiration!
Captain Castro, assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, N.C. finished the Air Force Marathon an unofficial time of 4:16:52. Running alongside him every step of the way was Fred Dummar, an Army lieutenant colonel who commands the Special Operations Recruiting Unit at Fort Bragg. Captain Castro said this was his first Air Force Marathon, but it definitely will not be his last.
The Solider has made running long-distance races a key part of his therapy after a mortar round exploded next to him in Iraq on Sept. 2, 2006, leaving him, among other serious injuries, totally blind. He decided to travel to Wright-Patterson AFB with his wife, Evelyn Galvis, and run in the Air Force Marathon in part because he does most of his training at Pope Air Force Base, N.C., adjacent to Fort Bragg. He thought it would also provide a good baseline pace time for his next big race, the Marine Corps Marathon Oct. 26 in Arlington, Va. "I know the Pope Gym like the back of my hand," Captain Castro said. "The Airmen there are fantastic."
He acknowledged another reason he was honored to run in the Air Force Marathon was Airmen were always there with "top cover" close-air support for coalition ground forces "whenever we needed them." "This is a team fight. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for everyone who helped put me back together. I'm very grateful," he said. Captain Castro's wife said she hopes his running will inspire other servicemembers with debilitating combat injuries to find the inner strength to adapt and overcome them."I want them to know if Ivan can do it, so can they," she said.
His training partner, Colonel Dummar, said Captain Castro's optimism and strength in the face of adversity are infectious. "It's an honor to run with him," Colonel Dummar said. "I think I get a lot more out of this than he does."
TAKEN FROM:
http://www.marathonguide.com/news/newsviewer.cfm?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Elive2run%2Ecom%2FMarathonGuide%2Fnews%2Fstories%2FAir%5F080923%5F1%2Ehtml
The Solider has made running long-distance races a key part of his therapy after a mortar round exploded next to him in Iraq on Sept. 2, 2006, leaving him, among other serious injuries, totally blind. He decided to travel to Wright-Patterson AFB with his wife, Evelyn Galvis, and run in the Air Force Marathon in part because he does most of his training at Pope Air Force Base, N.C., adjacent to Fort Bragg. He thought it would also provide a good baseline pace time for his next big race, the Marine Corps Marathon Oct. 26 in Arlington, Va. "I know the Pope Gym like the back of my hand," Captain Castro said. "The Airmen there are fantastic."
He acknowledged another reason he was honored to run in the Air Force Marathon was Airmen were always there with "top cover" close-air support for coalition ground forces "whenever we needed them." "This is a team fight. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for everyone who helped put me back together. I'm very grateful," he said. Captain Castro's wife said she hopes his running will inspire other servicemembers with debilitating combat injuries to find the inner strength to adapt and overcome them."I want them to know if Ivan can do it, so can they," she said.
His training partner, Colonel Dummar, said Captain Castro's optimism and strength in the face of adversity are infectious. "It's an honor to run with him," Colonel Dummar said. "I think I get a lot more out of this than he does."
TAKEN FROM:
http://www.marathonguide.com/news/newsviewer.cfm?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Elive2run%2Ecom%2FMarathonGuide%2Fnews%2Fstories%2FAir%5F080923%5F1%2Ehtml
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Racing Day!
Last Sunday was a race day for me. I am gearing up for the Columbus Half Marathon in October, which is a huge fundraiser for Kaitrin's Klub. My goal is to finally break 2 hours and Sunday's race put me 4 minutes closer to that goal! And as the big fundraiser approaches, I have been contemplating the full marathon in Columbus..."have been", well let's just say that around mile 11 of this past race, I decided with the utmost certainty that I in fact will NOT be running the full. I think that 'halfs' are my thing. I'll stick with what I can seem to handle.
I want to thank Denise, whom I met warming up in the parking lot, for keeping me company before the race. It was a great day to race and the course was very nice (not many hills and along the river). I'll learn not to bank on power gel being at mile 5 and 9...bring your own no matter what. Who runs a race on just a banana? Yep...that'd be me.
And as always...if you are running a race and want to run for a charity, Kaitrin's Klub will be more than happy to send a race packet out to you.
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