Ivan and Fred made the local paper.

[Mark Long]

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.

[david solomon]

Mark,
 
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.

 

David Solomon

 

My reflections: 

www.sensoryultrarunning.com 

updated 5/17/2009

 
> Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:37:30 -0700
> Subject: Ivan and Fred made the local paper.
> From: ult...@etinternet.net
> To: Mang...@googlegroups.com

[John Marotta]

MTC
This is the single most inspirational stories I have ever read.
Thanks for sharing it with everyone.

--
"A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways they’re capable of understanding."
                 Steve Prefontaine

                                                   Stormtrooper;