thedrifter
10-29-07, 07:51 AM
Blinded First Lieutenant Proves He 'Can Do This'
By Ryan Mink
Special to The Washington Post
Monday, October 29, 2007; E04
It wasn't 1st Lt. Ivan Castro's eyesight, which he lost in Iraq more than a year ago, that knocked him off his pace yesterday at the Marine Corps Marathon. It was his sighted guides.
"His first two guides were women," said George Mannes, who held Castro's left arm as he crossed the finish line in 4 hours 14 minutes 10 seconds. "They both had to make bathroom stops."
But Castro, 40, was just happy to make it to the finish line. This was only his second marathon and the first since being blinded 1 year 1 month 26 days ago. He easily rattled the number off the top of his head.
"I've got a standard now," Castro said. "I've got a goal to beat next year. This is not the last. This is just the first. You're going to see more of Ivan Castro."
Castro, an Army infantry officer stationed in Fort Bragg, N.C., was blinded when his convoy was attacked while on a rooftop in Baghdad. He and two other soldiers were dodging mortars when one hit right in front of him, knocking him unconscious and instantly causing blindness in his right eye. Surgery to remove shrapnel claimed his left eye. The blast killed the other two soldiers.
"First and foremost, this was for me, to show my friends and family that I can do this," Castro said. "It also goes to show the spirit of a U.S. Army soldier. It shows what we're made of. Never quit, never say 'No.' "
The Running Wounded
Gunnery Sgt. Bill "Spanky" Gibson didn't like using a crank wheelchair during last year's Marine Corps Marathon, watching his fellow Marines run past him. So this year the amputee decided to run.
With the use of a prosthetic running leg, Gibson, 36, began running seven months ago and teamed up with a group of younger Marines in Team Semper Fi to run yesterday's 10K, representing other amputates from Iraq or Afghanistan.
"We try to set an example for new wounded Marines and anybody that is wounded or non-able bodied to maintain an active lifestyle," Gibson said. "I used to be a lot more athletic back in the day before I got injured, so it's important for me to just do it. I don't care what the times are like. I just want to complete it, be out with my men and do it."
Gibson has been in the Marine Corps for 18 years. He was shot in the left leg last year, and it was amputated in Washington in May 2006. He will be redeployed this January.
He's Still Going
Tim Borland, an ultra runner and endurance coach, completed his 56th marathon in an effort to run 63 marathons in 63 days, finishing in 3:45:16. Borland, 31, will run another 26.2 miles today in Montclair, N.J. He, a friend, his wife and two children under the age of 3 have driven more than 11,000 miles.
"We've been around the country, but we haven't seen the country," Borland said. "It's almost weird to me. I can finish a four-hour marathon and not be sore, not be tired. Even after today I could have kept running."
Borland's group, the A-T CureTour, started on Sept. 3 in Anaheim, Calif., with the goal of raising awareness and money to fight the children's disease ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T). Ataxia-telangiectasia is a rare disease that typically shows signs at age 2 with relentless muscle loss that makes reading , eating and sleeping difficult.
"I'm totally happy doing it all to see those parents getting teary-eyed or get the high-fives from the kids," Borland said. "Its been an incredible journey. It's been life-changing."
Fine Finishes All Around
David Swope of New Windsor, Md., took first place in the wheelchair race with a time of 2:05:53. Scott McNeice of St. Petersburg, Fla., was the top crank wheelchair finisher at 1:22:27. . . .
D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, served as starter for the wheelchair race and then ran his sixth Marine Corps Marathon in 4:10:48. . . .
Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) ran 3:58:22. . . .
Olga Markova, who holds the Marine Corps Marathon women's record of 2:37:00, set in 1990, finished third in the 10K after hardly any training. "See, I'm strong, still strong," the St. Petersburg, Russia, native said. . . .
The U.S. Marines swept the British Royal Marines in the men's, women's and coed classes of the Challenge Cup for the best U.S. finish ever. . . .
Jill Stevens, a sergeant in the National Guard and the reigning Miss Utah, ran 3:23:50. . . .
Roger Burkhart, 69, from Gaithersburg, suffering from injuries, was unable to run for the first time in the history of the event. Four "Groundpounders" remain, and all completed their 32nd Marine Corps Marathon yesterday. . . .
Minutes after finishing yesterday, Samuel Zbogar, the ambassador of Slovenia to the United States, met four children who had survived landmines in Bosnia. This year he ran two marathons (including yesterday's) and two half-marathons to raise more than $65,000 to help pay for the surgeries and rehabilitation of six children.
"I thought if I kept asking people to give me money, then I should do something very difficult on my side," Zbogar said. "It is very gratifying and I'm very excited to meet them."
Staff writer Jim Hage contributed to this report.
Ellie
By Ryan Mink
Special to The Washington Post
Monday, October 29, 2007; E04
It wasn't 1st Lt. Ivan Castro's eyesight, which he lost in Iraq more than a year ago, that knocked him off his pace yesterday at the Marine Corps Marathon. It was his sighted guides.
"His first two guides were women," said George Mannes, who held Castro's left arm as he crossed the finish line in 4 hours 14 minutes 10 seconds. "They both had to make bathroom stops."
But Castro, 40, was just happy to make it to the finish line. This was only his second marathon and the first since being blinded 1 year 1 month 26 days ago. He easily rattled the number off the top of his head.
"I've got a standard now," Castro said. "I've got a goal to beat next year. This is not the last. This is just the first. You're going to see more of Ivan Castro."
Castro, an Army infantry officer stationed in Fort Bragg, N.C., was blinded when his convoy was attacked while on a rooftop in Baghdad. He and two other soldiers were dodging mortars when one hit right in front of him, knocking him unconscious and instantly causing blindness in his right eye. Surgery to remove shrapnel claimed his left eye. The blast killed the other two soldiers.
"First and foremost, this was for me, to show my friends and family that I can do this," Castro said. "It also goes to show the spirit of a U.S. Army soldier. It shows what we're made of. Never quit, never say 'No.' "
The Running Wounded
Gunnery Sgt. Bill "Spanky" Gibson didn't like using a crank wheelchair during last year's Marine Corps Marathon, watching his fellow Marines run past him. So this year the amputee decided to run.
With the use of a prosthetic running leg, Gibson, 36, began running seven months ago and teamed up with a group of younger Marines in Team Semper Fi to run yesterday's 10K, representing other amputates from Iraq or Afghanistan.
"We try to set an example for new wounded Marines and anybody that is wounded or non-able bodied to maintain an active lifestyle," Gibson said. "I used to be a lot more athletic back in the day before I got injured, so it's important for me to just do it. I don't care what the times are like. I just want to complete it, be out with my men and do it."
Gibson has been in the Marine Corps for 18 years. He was shot in the left leg last year, and it was amputated in Washington in May 2006. He will be redeployed this January.
He's Still Going
Tim Borland, an ultra runner and endurance coach, completed his 56th marathon in an effort to run 63 marathons in 63 days, finishing in 3:45:16. Borland, 31, will run another 26.2 miles today in Montclair, N.J. He, a friend, his wife and two children under the age of 3 have driven more than 11,000 miles.
"We've been around the country, but we haven't seen the country," Borland said. "It's almost weird to me. I can finish a four-hour marathon and not be sore, not be tired. Even after today I could have kept running."
Borland's group, the A-T CureTour, started on Sept. 3 in Anaheim, Calif., with the goal of raising awareness and money to fight the children's disease ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T). Ataxia-telangiectasia is a rare disease that typically shows signs at age 2 with relentless muscle loss that makes reading , eating and sleeping difficult.
"I'm totally happy doing it all to see those parents getting teary-eyed or get the high-fives from the kids," Borland said. "Its been an incredible journey. It's been life-changing."
Fine Finishes All Around
David Swope of New Windsor, Md., took first place in the wheelchair race with a time of 2:05:53. Scott McNeice of St. Petersburg, Fla., was the top crank wheelchair finisher at 1:22:27. . . .
D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, served as starter for the wheelchair race and then ran his sixth Marine Corps Marathon in 4:10:48. . . .
Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) ran 3:58:22. . . .
Olga Markova, who holds the Marine Corps Marathon women's record of 2:37:00, set in 1990, finished third in the 10K after hardly any training. "See, I'm strong, still strong," the St. Petersburg, Russia, native said. . . .
The U.S. Marines swept the British Royal Marines in the men's, women's and coed classes of the Challenge Cup for the best U.S. finish ever. . . .
Jill Stevens, a sergeant in the National Guard and the reigning Miss Utah, ran 3:23:50. . . .
Roger Burkhart, 69, from Gaithersburg, suffering from injuries, was unable to run for the first time in the history of the event. Four "Groundpounders" remain, and all completed their 32nd Marine Corps Marathon yesterday. . . .
Minutes after finishing yesterday, Samuel Zbogar, the ambassador of Slovenia to the United States, met four children who had survived landmines in Bosnia. This year he ran two marathons (including yesterday's) and two half-marathons to raise more than $65,000 to help pay for the surgeries and rehabilitation of six children.
"I thought if I kept asking people to give me money, then I should do something very difficult on my side," Zbogar said. "It is very gratifying and I'm very excited to meet them."
Staff writer Jim Hage contributed to this report.
Ellie