Ultra marathon an inspiration | Megan Sheridan

Published 9:08 am Wednesday, August 28, 2013

I have had times when simple things make such a huge difference. You never know why, or how, but it does. And for me it usually is a lightening rod moment but I can never truly explain why.

The most recent for me came a few months ago when I randomly saw a public service announcement for a new campaign called I Got Your Six. It hit me really hard since it is all about helping our veterans. I have always been very angry at how our men and women are brought back from war, or military enlistment, and we abandon them. I had tears running down my face as I watched this because I knew that I needed to do something but I wasn’t quite sure what. I felt that I didn’t have the opportunity to do anything right here. I didn’t know any veterans that needed help — at least acknowledged it — and I also wasn’t aware of any programs that were available right here in our community.

So, I had it in my mind as something that I wanted to have come in to my life. I kept that feeling with me all the time and I knew that putting it our there would bring it to my life. This finally happened a few weeks ago and I was blown away.

It started with a couple of messages via the Cash Mob page  which introduced me to Always Brothers. To say I was excited when I read about the organization would be an understatement. I did interviews with Always Brothers Vice President Dan Neilsen as well as retired Marine Storm McNeil, who participated in the run, which got me even more fired up!

Always Brothers 100 mile ultra marathon, which started Aug. 10, went through Maple Valley Aug. 11 and other communities from Leschi down to Orting and back up to Century Link.  I took my son Hudson to a few of the different stops along the way and was so moved by the dedication of these Marines who were willing to give so much for our fallen. To watch them in the process of running 100 miles was awe inspiring to say the least. I couldn’t imagine doing it, but I came away knowing that I wanted to be a part of it. I am not sure how that will happen but I rarely know exactly how things will happen in my life but I am always open to the doors, cracks and windows that seem to be opening up so much lately.

I gave Dan and Storm a few days to attempt to have their bodies recover before I sat down with them and Tanya Neilsen to discuss the success of the run, the impact they made and most importantly their experiences over the 100 miles.

At this point Storm was still trying to recover from the knee injury he suffered 11 miles into the run. He had a wonderful friend, Ric Holm, loan him a bike so he was able to continue with his fellow Marines through the rest of the 100 miles. Storm didn’t just ride a bike. His cycling ended up providing a very useful purpose: he rode ahead of the group to ensure that the roads and trails we were on were prepared for us to go through, especially for the ATV that we had.

They had so many inspiring moments along the way. Multiple people came out to thank them and tell them how much they appreciated their dedication to shedding light on the issues of brain disease and what our veterans go through. One mom gave them pictures of her children to run with who had suffered from PTSD while the owner of the Red Dog Saloon came out to thank them because she had to watch her boyfriend suffer. Ralph and Marlys, who ran 65 miles and are both in their 60s, a man running on his titanium leg, Bob Derga whose son was part of Lima company that Always Brothers supported last year and so much more. Multiple bonds were created on this run. People became members of the family and lives were forever changed.

To see the appreciation from many and the support that multiple communities offered was phenomenal. I couldn’t help but laugh to see the videos that came out of Auburn and Pacific from the middle of the night.

In the pitch black they had cheering stations and sent competition videos back and forth to see which community supported them more. It was such a huge momentum boost for all of these brothers who ran.  At this point they had run close to 18 hours and were exhausted, in pain, battling cramps and more. Regardless, they moved on and like Marines do in the middle of a battle, no one was left behind.

They started this run and finished it together in Seattle with an escort from the Seattle Police Department. SPD personnel said it was satisfying to be able to escort them in because of all that the organization represents. Although the run came to an end, the battle for finding cures and answers for PTSD and TBI is far from over. Always Brothers will continue to run every year to help raise money and awareness for our fallen veterans.

My hope is that we can get them back here next year. They have not repeated runs yet, but we can be the first! There is a huge push to have them back during Marine Week. This would be such a wonderful experience for these Marines to run, but also our active and retired Marines will have the opportunity to see the amazing outpouring of love and support that I witnessed first hand.

If you would like to see Always Brothers return please send emails of support. You can find out all the information about this amazing organization at www.alwaysbrothers.org.

I have been talking to Dan, Storm and Tanya about different ways that we can carry this momentum through out the year. We will keep you posted about what our next steps are. We are also excited to talk to Serenity Equine Rescue who wants to help our veterans through horse therapy.

If you are part of an organization that is interested in helping our veterans please let me know.

We will also be looking at local and national resources that may be available to bring to our community.

I truly cannot say thank you enough to Always Brothers for what they did right here. It was an honor and privilege to see your willingness to help our veterans and a testimony to your belief that a brother or sister should never be left behind.

Contact Megan Sheridan at megansheridan@relylocal.com.