Posts Tagged ‘ultra-marathon’

21 Guns Ultra Marathon: A Race Report

Monday, February 20th, 2012

A couple weeks ago, we brought you the story of 21 Guns, an organization that pays tribute to America’s fallen heroes by running in honor of them. Earlier this month, they ran an ultra marathon in honor of two soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan over the summer and Adam of 21 Guns wrote this race report, an amazing story. Thank you Adam and Dan and 21 Guns for sharing your story!

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This past weekend was a big weekend, as Team 21GUNS had the opportunity to run in honor of 2 Army helicopter pilots who were shot down in Afghanistan 5 June of this year. CW3 Kenneth White and CW2 Bradley Gaudet both stepped in harm’s way voluntarily and paid the ultimate price so that we could live the lives that we live in this great country.

The race was the First Annual Delirium 24 hour Endurance run in Bluffton, South Carolina. Along with the 24 hour version, one could also sign up for a 6 hour or 12 hour option as well. You would never have known this was an inaugural event, as the organization of the event down to every last detail was spot on. Team 21GUNS opted for the 24 hour version, so at 10:00am Saturday morning, 21GUNS cofounders Dan Tebo and I, toed the line to start the 24-hour journey.

If you ever want to peel back all the layers and see what you’re really made of, run an ultra marathon. Those ultra runs tend to carry you through many highs and lows while you’re on the trail. The highs can be very high and the lows can be VERY low, requiring you to dig deeper than you ever have before. I think Dan and I covered the entire spectrum of emotions during this event.

One team member had to make the difficult, but smart decision to end his run early due to injury. This did not end his day, though like the soldier he is, he got cleaned up and set a new goal for his mission. He decided to be there every step of the way to get his teammate to the finish.

The day could not have started any better, with temperatures in mid 40’s. There was not a cloud in the sky. Dan and I were both pretty relaxed as we ate breakfast at 7:00am– albeit a little quiet as we contemplated what was about to begin. We got the vehicles loaded up and gathered the team: Dan, myself, Larry Salley ( my brother in law and Uber Crew chief), my son, Sean Fitzgerald , Hillary Tebo Dan’s wife future ultra runner Logan Tebo, and of course the cheering section of the four-legged variety, Elsa, Roxie and Koa.

Once we got to the start line, we focused on setting up the “Aid station,” where we could access all of our supplies during the run. Everything at the aid station, from nutrition to change of clothes, crew members and the race gear served as a reminder of why we were there in the first place: to honor two real heroes and their families. During a brief introduction and pre race meeting you could cut the nervous anticipation with a knife. Dan and I both had our game faces on and were ready to “Get-er Done”.

The gun sounded and we were off.

The early miles were filled with a lot of nervous laughter and chatter as people settled into their pace. The biggest issue we had at this point was keeping the excitement of the day from dictating our pace and running too fast. Of course, that is exactly what happened. After a few hours I could tell things were not quite right with Dan. He was keeping his cards close and not letting on that he was in some serious pain. Like the warrior that he is, he made it past the 50k mark (31.2 miles) before making the very difficult decision to end the run portion of his race, and shift all his energy to getting me to the finish.

For this I am very grateful. Later in the race, his support was critical in getting me to the finish. We continued on clicking off the hours and things really started to get interesting after the sun went down. By this time, the wind was really kicking into gear and the temps started to drop. According to the iPhone app, the temperature dipped to 26 degrees with a wind-chill of 11 degrees.

Around midnight, fourteen hours into the race, things started to get tough for me. By this time, I had enough clothes on to look like the Michelin man, but I still could not stay warm. From this point on the crew really earned their money in providing support, and we all remained united in our goal to run for the families.

The mantra was simple at the beginning of each lap. “RFM, RFM” (relentless forward motion) and “just get to the next aid station”. To this point, my hydration and food seemed to be spot on as the race aid station was VERY WELL equipped with anything that you might crave– including some of the best chicken soup I have even eaten in my life. Yet, the time on my feet and the energy draining cold were really starting to take their toll.

By 3:00am (17 hours into the race) I just could not get warm enough and was shivering uncontrollably. Dan recognized that this might be classic symptoms of hypothermia, so we made the decision to step just off the course and get into Dan’s SUV to warm up before starting the next lap. This strategy continued for the next few hours.

The sun finally came up around 7:00am. This usually results in a lift of the spirits and for at least a brief period and a lift in pace as well– as people can see the light at the end of the tunnel from an end of race perspective. You no longer have to deal with staring at a small circle of light from your headlamp in the midst of pitch black woods– so dark you can’t see the hand in front of your face. In my case, there was no increase in my pace, as my legs were pretty much shot at this point. However, there was a big boost in my spirit due to the sun and a much needed nap to stave off sleep deprivation. Although from the outside looking in it might have been hard to tell as I dragged along.

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So it was FINALLY here, the end was in sight. I had just one lap to go. It took the whole team to get me to this point, so the WHOLE team was gonna run that last lap with me. I took the American flag and Dan took the Team 21GUNS flag and we were off on the last 1.7 miles of this journey.

The course was a loop course with the last .2 miles a straight shot from the woods down the street to the finish. Once we got close enough to see the finish (just thinking about it is giving me goose bumps) we could see what looked like somebody with three small kids. As we came closer, I recognized Sarah, the wife of fallen soldier, Kenneth White. She was standing there with her three kids, waiting for our arrival. That was a real quick reminder that all of the pain and discomfort that Dan and I both endured during this run, paled in comparison (and should not even be compared) to the loss that this young mom and kids have had to deal with every day since losing her husband and their daddy.

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After finishing, we had the privilege to personally thank Sarah and the kids for their sacrifice and presented them with a very small token of our deepest appreciation. I am still trying to process it all as it was quite an emotional roller coaster for me and the team. I do know that this has really fired me up for the next race, as we continue to push forward in making sure that these warriors are not forgotten.

Fallen and not Forgotten
Adam Fitzgerald
Co Founder Team 21GUNS

Follow 21 Guns’ adventures:
Website: www.21gunsfallen.org
Twitter: www.twitter.com/21gunsfallen
Facebook: www.facebook.com/run21guns

Check out our last post on 21 Guns and their journey toward the ultra marathon.

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21 Guns: An Ultra-Marathon Journey

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

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“Dan, it’s Adam!” she called out as he was approaching mile 35 in a grueling 50k race.

Dan Tebo’s salt levels were low and he was having to dig deep around now, but the voice on the other end of the phone his wife handed him was soothing. It was his good friend, Adam Fitzgerald, who’d helped him train to get to this day.

“He worked it out with Hillary to call me during the race to give me that extra boost,” Dan told me later in an interview. And it was just the pep talk he needed to cross the finish line of his second ultra-marathon in October. It took him just under 13 hours.

Dan and Adam make up “21 Guns,” an organization that provides support and assistance to families of America’s fallen service people, from firefighters to military and everything in between.

The friends met last year through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and it was on their minds to create an organization to give back. Dan is an active-duty federal agent in the United States Air Force, and Adam is a pastor at a church in South Carolina but both of them have one passion in common: running.

They began talking about how they could combine their passion for running with helping other people. They knew they wanted to honor America’s service people, but they didn’t want to leave anyone out. “There’s no organizations that included all of our nation’s heroes. We’re going to include all of them and we’re going to give back to the families that have lost a loved one.”

Together they formed “21 Guns,” which is representative of the 21 Gun Salute which honors military or naval personnel.

The 21 Guns Mission Statement
“To honor those who’ve given the ultimate sacrifice by supporting, motivating, and fostering relationships with the families left behind.
The heroes will ALWAYS be remembered and their families will NOT be abandoned.”

As part of 21 Guns, Adam and Dan compete in ultra-marathons across the country dedicated to the fallen and their families. They hope to become a non-profit so they can help raise money for the families of the fallen. “It’s about American pride and we have folks that have given their all,” explains Dan.

After 21 Guns was founded, they needed to find a family to honor, but Dan said they didn’t have to look far. The wife of a young serviceman killed over the summer went to Adam’s church to seek assistance in opening up some goverment documents regarding her husband’s death. Adam sat down with her and together they went through the information.

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Chief Warrant Officers Kenneth Ryan White and Brad Gaudet were killed when their chopper was shot down in Afghanistan in June. It was White’s 3rd combat tour with the Army, but his first tour in Afghanistan. Officer White leaves behind his wife of 12 years, Sarah, and three children.

Later, Adam asked Officer White’s wife if he could run in honor of the two soldiers and their families and now Dan and Adam are training for a 24-hour in South Carolina called “Delirium” next month dedicated to the soldiers and their families. They hope to cover 100 miles. “It’ll be a huge thing for us personally and why we’re doing it will be a whole ‘nother thing,” he said.

Dan has been running since 7th grade and has always loved running, but admits he’s never been good at it. “I sucked at running, period,” he says. But he kept running anyway. “Personally I loved running and I’ve always looked for a challenge. My dad always challenged me; if it wasn’t challenging, I wasn’t interested,” said Dan. “My dad was extremely proud of me because I didn’t quit.”

And quit he didn’t. Dan continued to run 5ks and half-marathons in college, but he liked the challenge of an ultra-marathon enough to try it last year. Now he’s more than doubling the distance of his first ultra-marathon for this next race.

Dan will be running the Delirium race with Adam, who’s undergone recent physical challenges himself after having over 20 brain surgeries and has cochlear implants to hear. Their families will be their crew. “They provide a heck of a lot of support. If it wasn’t for the crew, we wouldn’t finish,” Dan said. When I asked him if he had any pre-race rituals, he said, “I pray before every race, knee off to the side. It’s sort of a joke,” he said, laughing, because of his last name, “Tebo,” which is spelled different than Denver Bronco quarterback Tim Tebow, who made “Tebow-ing” famous.

And oh yeah. The race will be the first time Dan and Adam actually meet. “We’ve never actually met face to face, we will actually meet in February,” he said. The community has offered 21 Guns support on their mission. They’ve gotten gear, food, and even their hotel stay sponsored. MyRaceRagz.com was proud to provide their shirts.

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Dan and Adam hope Officer White’s family will be at the finish line, where the family will be presented with a medal and a race number for each of the fallen soldiers. “However, keep in the mind, the discomfort and mental fatigue we endure is absolutely nothing compared to what our warriors and their families continue to go through on a daily basis,” said Dan.

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Dan and Adam welcome anyone to join the cause of 21 Guns. You can sign up to volunteer for 21 Guns here, from where ever you’re located.

We’ll keep you updated with pictures and status updates on the race from the My Race Ragz Facebook page and on Twitter. Be sure to check out their website, 21 Guns and the 21 Guns Facebook page.

Good luck to you both in your race! Thank you for remembering our heroes.