Thank you so much for passing this along! Seeing Fred and Ivan running together was all the inspriration I needed to help work through some of my bad patches. Incredible story.
> Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:37:30 -0700
> Subject: Ivan and Fred made the local paper.
> From: ult
...@etinternet.net
> To: MangumTC@googlegroups.com
> Marathon runners to show brotherhood
> By Philip D. Brown (Richmond County Daily Journal)
> U.S. Army Special Forces Captain Ivan Castro and Lieutenant Colonel
> Fredrick Dummar live out the Warrior’s Ethos mottos of “I will never
> give up,” and “I will never leave behind a fallen comrade.” Castro was
> blinded in Iraq in September 2006.
> Saturday night’s Boogie 50-mile marathon held near the Mangum area of
> Richmond County can be a daunting challenge for even the most capable
> runners.
> However, when U.S. Army Special Forces Captain Ivan Castro and
> Lieutenant Colonel Fredrick Dummar cross the finish line of the race
> sometime in Sunday’s early morning hours, it will be not only be a
> testament to the strength and drive of the individual, but also a
> statement of brotherhood and the will to never surrender.
> Showing no capitulation, Capt. Castro has continued his military
> service after being blinded while in Operation Iraqi Freedom on Sept.
> 2, 2006.
> He has also parlayed a shared interest in running into first an
> unbreakable tie of brotherhood and mentor/mentee relationship with Lt.
> Col. Dummar, and a platform to advocate for other Wounded Warriors.
> Their relationship began when Castro returned to Special Forces after
> being wounded.
> “When I came back, I’d never met him before,” Castro said. “He was
> basically a stranger, but he knew that I enjoyed running, and asked if
> I’d like to run a marathon with him. I took him up on it, and ever
> since then we’ve been running buddies and great friends.”
> The two work together at the Fort Bragg Special Forces recruiting
> office and have run several 26-mile marathons together. They are
> tethered by a string with Dummar out front.
> Dummar described some of the challenges Castro faces when they run
> these competitive races, and his motivations for facing those
> challenges.
> “Other runners really use visual cues for motivation, but he has to
> depend on me to tell him how high the hill is or where the next water
> station is,” Dummar said. “Sometimes to be an advocate, you must step
> out of your comfort zone and do things you wouldn’t ordinarily do. You
> have to put yourself out there as an example of something positive,
> and what a person can do when they rise to meet challenges.”
> He said part of he and Castro’s racing ritual is taken from the
> Warrior Ethos, which their shirts have an excerpt from printed across
> the back.
> “Part of the Warrior Ethos is that ‘I will never give up,’ and that
> will be on the back of (Castro’s) shirt,” Dummar said. “That means a
> lot to us in Special Forces, and sometimes it’s easy to say things
> like I will never give up, but then when you meet the first obstacle,
> how easy is it to say now I give up?
> “It’s inspiring to see someone facing adversity and living that
> motto.”
> “Another part of the Warrior Ethos is ‘I will never leave a fallen
> comrade,” Castro said. “And that will be on the back of the Lt. Col.’s
> shirt as well.”
> Castro is overcoming adversity in more ways than just racing nowadays.
> However, though the two have much experience running marathons, this
> will be Castro’s first 50-miler.
> “I got lured into this one,” Castro said. “The Lieutenant Colonel is
> an ultra-marathon runner. He runs 50- and 100-miles like you or I
> might run a six-miler, but I’m up to the challenge and even though
> this is my first 50-miler, hopefully it’s not my last.”
> The race begins at 6 p.m. at Bethel Baptist Church. Many who finish
> the race will do so following Sunday’s sunrise. The race begins and
> ends at Bethel Church on Bethel Hill near Mangum. It is run on a 10-
> mile loop of road that includes Cartledge Creek Road and Grassy Island
> Road. Five transits over the entire loop complete the race.
> The event was once known as the Ellerbe Springs Race, but has been
> resurrected after a dormant period by the Mangum Track Club.
> Dummar said there are some unique aspects of this race that should
> work to he and Castro’s’ advantage.
> “First of all, it’s a rural race, so it shouldn’t be so many people,”
> he said. “Second, it’s held at night, so other people will probably
> also have difficulty seeing, and third it’s all on paved roads. It
> should be a challenge, but we’re up to it.”
> The message Castro hopes others take from him completing the marathon
> - never give up.
> “I think for anybody, not only a wounded warrior or a person with
> disabilities, I think it’s all up to your attitude ... It’s all about
> believing in yourself,” Castro said. “If I can help one person, or
> maybe even two, by running this race, maybe I won’t help them run a 50-
> mile race, but they can see the blind guy out there running around and
> crossing the finish line, maybe it will motivate them to do something
> else they would really like to do.”
> “This is a story about continuing to drive on,” Dummar said. “It’s a
> story about friendship, and it’s a story about never giving up.”
> Castro and Dummar also hope to raise awareness about the Special
> Operations Warrior Foundation, which pays for a college education for
> the children of Special Operations soldiers who die in battle.
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