I read this on a local Triathlon web site this morning. Phill Marsh is a running coach here in Ottawa. I'm absolutely humbled...
(MOD's I've pasted the entire article since there's a bit of chaff in the web posting)
ARMY RUN...A WEEKEND OF HEROES:
This past weekend, over 12,000 runners and walkers lined up to show their appreciation and respect...soldiers thankful for their fellow competitors who were about to run and walk side by side, and civilians thankful for these soldiers who put themselves in harms way to not only protect the lives of others but to ensure that we all have the freedoms that we often take so much for granted.
In 2008, we saw for the first time a number of injured soldiers lining up to start the 5km event. For all of us who run, bike, swim, ski, skate every day here in the Capital Region, it was a time to reflect and to realize that we have been fortunate enough to not be put into harm's way. For many of us, it was the first time we saw an injured soldier putting on a racing prosthetic the same way we would lace up our racing flats. For me, it was an experience that made me understand the sacrifice that these men and women make every day of their lives; the sacrifices of brothers and sisters, fathers and daughters, and of friends. I made a decision that for 2009 Army Run, I wanted to work with an injured soldier and coach one of these adaptive athletes for the half marathon.
When I brought the idea to Chris and the Army Run folks this winter, there was an initial hesitation as the Army is very protective of their soldiers and especially those who have been injured in combat.
Everyone agreed that it was a natural evolution for the event to have an injured soldier taking on the challenge of the half marathon but other considerations would have to include the chances of failure to finish, the optics of this soldier being front and center as the face of the event, and of course finding the soldier that would want to be the adaptive athlete who would take on the challenge of running the half marathon.
A few weeks later, a meeting was set up with a young soldier named Jody Mitic. We met at the hotel he was staying at while he was visiting Ottawa and I was immediately at ease with Jody. As a coach, I wanted to get a feel for my athlete, to see if there would be a natural trust and respect from both sides, and to see if he or she really was committed to their goal. For Jody, I could see that he was apprehensive and likely wondering what my motives where and why a civilian was going to offer to coach him through to his goal of finishing the half marathon. After a good discussion about his background, I headed home and emailed Chris that I was willing to commit to working with Jody and waited to see if Jody had the same response. When Chris replied that Jody was happy with our meeting and that he was comfortable with my background and my experiences with both adaptive and other athletes, we decided to come up with a plan to get started. For me, it was the start of an experience that I hope helped Jody become a better athlete and helped me be a better man.
Training with Jody required a different approach than working with my regular athletes. Normally, the training plan is focused on energy systems, speed, periodizing the training for optimal race day performances and training the athletes to handle the stresses of competition both mentally and physically. For Jody, the focus was pain management and dealing with the sores and the skin damage that would come with running on prosthetic carbon limbs. Finding ways of managing the friction, the suction of the stumps with the limbs, the phantom pains, the cramping of the remains of his calf muscles, and mostly finding a running rhythm that would allow us to run/walk 21km. It was not the pressure of running the fastest time, but rather the overwhelming pressure of representing your fellow soldiers, of proving to your superiors that your physical and mental limits were still untested, and that you were close to getting back to being combat ready. Any failure along the way, under the microscope of the media especially on race day, could have destroyed any hopes or dreams of a return to joining his brothers in arms back where an IED changed his life forever.
The training runs were a chance to talk about our lives, about his life as a soldier, of meeting his partner minutes after the explosion as he watched medics trying to save his life and finding out later that he would lose both of his lower legs. He wanted to know about my life, my running and why I would want to help him with his training. I think for a long time Jody wondered about my commitment to crossing the finish line with him but I don't think he had any idea what kind of an honor it was to be a part of this and to get to know a true Canadian hero. I learned about his background as a sniper, his young daughter and most of all his burning desire to return to combat. He talked at great length about his work with Soldier On, which is a fund that helps injured soldiers and their families, and he spoke of the opportunity to be the face of this organization as he crossed the finish line for the half marathon in September.
The longest run we managed in training was 16km, with the last 3 walking. Our process was a little more complicated than most athletes as we had to find a bench to sit on while Jody took off his legs and toweled off the inside to eliminate the sweat buildup. Carrying around a chamois and hand sanitizer became the norm instead of power bars and gels. Drying off the stumps, massaging the sores that would build up, then putting the legs back on and pressing the suction back, we would then continue with our runs. Folks would see us running, and those who knew Jody was a soldier would say thanks while others would simply look in awe at this awkward looking runner, a 220 pound man who looked more comfortable under a bench press than putting in the km's along the canal. Children would say to their parents "look at the man with no legs" and while Jody understood their wonder, I think at times it was also a tough thing to hear along the way but he always greeted folks and said thanks right back to them. Every time we ran, I became more proud of him, not as a soldier or a runner but just as a man who somehow thought of himself as being so lucky in life after such a tragedy would knock most of us into a spiral of depression.
Fast forward to race week, on Thursday the last of our regular weekly Thursday runs at the A breakfast show. I invited Mayor O'Brien, Minister Stockwell Day, Minister Peter MacKay and MP John Weston to join Jody and I along with a number of soldiers from both the Army and from Soldier On. We ran as a group and it was amazing to see so much respect and awe as Jody talked about his life, his aspirations, and his family. For Jody, he was so pleased to see these politicians who are also all runners, take the time to show their support and pride in his efforts. From there, the media demands began, and the reality of what he had taken on started to hit us both. While I never worried about his mental toughness or his commitment to running the 21.1km, the reality of his injuries meant that race day was really not fully under our control and he would be at the mercy of how his stumps would handle the stresses of the last 5km. We decided to let the media know that our expectations were to run under 4 hours, considering the 5km pit stops to clean and re-attach the legs and likely being forced to walk the last 5km as gingerly as possible. On Friday night at the Officers Formal Mess Dinner, I spoke with a number of the leaders of our Canadian Army, including General Andrew Leslie who mentioned how proud he was of Jody and his participating in the half marathon. These leaders were excited about the races, doing a little trash talking of their own, but also were very aware of the efforts of the injured soldiers. I think most understood that Jody's finishing the race would be a highlight and a statement for both the Army Run and for the Army itself.
Race morning arrived and Jody discovered a new sore the size of a ping pong ball had formed on one of his stumps, making it difficult to even attach his leg. Likely because of all of the standing around at the Expo, the media interviews and the cumulative damage that we had done in the monthes of running leading to race day. Jody insisted on being at the start of the 5km for the injured soldiers and I started to fully understand what this event meant to these men and women as Jody walked among them to shake a hand, to share a private thought and to encourage all of them on their journey to the finish line. Many talked about how inspirational Jody was for them, and he returned to them their inspiration as he trained. I understood that he was the perfect soldier for Soldier On at that moment, because with any team leaders are born and the mantle of leadership was now crystal clear. We went to the side of the road and watched as they started the 5km and now it was time for us to prepare for our own race. I then met his sister and another injured soldier who would be running with us.
We had the option of starting at 9am but I thought it would be better to start with the earlier injured athletes at 8:45. National media were there to cover our story and they all wanted to have individual time before the start but we had to focus on getting ready so we held one media scrum around 8:30 while Jody put on his racing legs. It made for a powerful and emotive moment for them as they saw his inflamed stumps for the first time and some just stopped what they were doing as they realized what Jody would be putting himself through to run this half marathon. I wanted everyone in the race to have the opportunity to pass us along the way, to be able to see Jody running and to be inspired, and to also thank him for his commitment and service to Canada and to Canadians.
This proved to be the right choice as we began to be passed by the first wave of runners just short of Pretoria Bridge. It was amazing to have the elite men come up on us so quickly but to make the effort to recognize Jody and to shout their encouragement and thanks. For me, it was also special to start being passed by many of the runners I coach and by so many folks I know in the community. I would guess that over the first 10km, we had most of the 5000 runners pass us and likely half of them talked to Jody, called him their brother, and thanked him for what he was doing. I felt like the worst running nerd as I carried my bberry in one hand and an hd video camera in the other. John Stanton was announcing at the finish line and he wanted to be sure that he could follow Jody's progress through the race as well as the media outlets were scrambling around the route calling to see where we could liaise along the route to see how he was doing, what he was feeling. It was funny to see a couple of the cameramen sweating so hard as they tried to keep up with Jody while carrying the shoulder cams.
One funny moment was at Bronson Bridge as Jody decided to hit the porta potty. If you can imagine how difficult it must be to try and stand on two prosthetic limbs balancing in a smelly toilet while trying to pee, we became a little concerned as we heard some bumping around inside. After a few choice words, Jody stumbled out and we continued. Again, something I had always taken for granted being able to just scoot in and out of a washroom is not so easy for someone like Jody.
At around 13km, I began to worry for the first time even though we had run the best pace yet. There were few people passing us now, so the encouragement had subsided and we were just 4 runners...2 injured soldiers and their support crew. Just at the perfect time, we saw a small boy with his father on the side of the road all alone, and the boy started to raise up a piece of poster board. On it was handwritten "Go Jody, our hero". The child then started to cheer for Jody and Jody immediately went over to shake his hand. I can't describe how it felt to see this child who had never met Jody, looking at him with more awe as he would look at someone like Alfie. In sport the word hero is thrown around far too often, and in this event there was no way that even a world record holder could be called a hero with these injured soldiers amongst them. Maybe a lesson in that for the media that followed us throughout the race. At the very moment I was concerned about Jody finishing the race, he was instantly energized by this child and his father, and he immediately stood a little taller, ran a little faster and I knew then that we would not only finish the race but that Jody would now not allow himself to walk any part of the race.
As we got within a few km of the finish line, I called John one last time to let him know that we were approaching. We heard this over the speakers ahead and could hear the clapping and cheering which told us the end was near. It was unlike any race I have ever been in, because instead of wanting the race to finally be over I wished that we still had miles to cover so that the experience wouldn't be over. For Jody, though, I wanted this to end as triumphantly as possible, with his family waiting at the finish line and his military brothers and sisters waiting to congratulate him in appreciation of an effort that only could be achieved by an Olympian or a soldier. With a few hundred meters, Jody looked at me and said it was time for the sprint finish. I was thinking "oh crap, what if he falls or trips on the timing mats" but once again, I was the one with the handicap still doubting him because of his prosthetics. We picked the pace up and Jody burst across the line, into the arms of soldiers and family and to the burst of flashes and smiles of pride. I stepped back to watch everything and I could only imagine the pride they felt for Jody and the pride he must have felt in finishing the Army Half Marathon. His mom placed the finishing dog tags around Jody's neck and it was official...he finished, he had become our vision of what an adaptive athlete can accomplish.
Over the years, I have worked with so many runners that have had different physical and mental challenges. The terms have changed over the years from handicapped to physically challenged to now adaptive. I thought about the term and realized that "adaptive" truly identified these athletes. One leg or no legs, sight or no sight, arms or no arms, these men and women are as much athletes as any other. The only difference is that that they are adapting to their individual situations and then moving forward to both participate and compete. Jody is in no way handicapped, in no way physically challenged, he is truly an athlete and he is now a half marathoner. In the next year, Jody wants to run a marathon, do an adventure race, be a terrific dad, and to help other soldiers get their lives on track as he has. There will of course be days of doubt, of sadness and anger, but they will be far outnumbered by days of happiness, of accomplishment, of pride and of fellowship but from now on, his family not only includes the brotherhood of the Army but that of the running community everywhere he goes.
To Chris and the organizers of this incredible event, thanks for bringing it to Ottawa. To John Stanton and the Running Room thanks for letting me have a career that makes the line between work and play so difficult to see, to my friends and athletes congratulations for your amazing results and for understanding why I had to make the time to work with Jody. To the Army leaders who let me into their world to have the honor of coaching and running with their soldier Jody Mitic, I will be forever grateful that I can call him my friend and for teaching me the true definition of hero. To everyone who runs and walks I hope that Jody's adventure helped to inspire you to make a difference in your own world the way that Jody has.
(to check out more of the race coverage, check out http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/09/20/ottawa-armyrun-mitic.html#socialcomments)
Phil Marsh
pmarsh@runningroom.com
ushup: 
