Operation IronFamily

A Kentucky soldier is training for the Ironman Triathlon to raise money and awareness for military families
By Larry Muhammad • lmuhammad@courier-journal.com • March 16, 2008

"I'm bumping up my bike about 10 miles a week," said Dewees, a veteran of the Iraq war who is stationed at Fort Riley, Kan. "So this Friday, I'll ride 90 miles. This Saturday, I'll run 18 miles, and probably bump it up to 20 miles after that."
A squadron physician who spent nine months last year treating wounded soldiers and civilians in a clinic at his base, Camp Taji, 20 miles northwest of Baghdad, Dewees is training for next month's Ironman Triathlon, the quintessential endurance race. It includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run -- back-to-back in a single day.

"After turning 20 years old and running my first marathon, I set a goal to complete an Ironman by the time I'd turned 30," said Dewees, who grew up in Union, Ky., and who graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine.
But there's more: Dewees' date with sports destiny -- he turned 30 last July -- will raise money for the families of service people killed in Iraq and Afghanistan through a charity he started called Operation IronFamily.
Before going to Iraq, Dewees was stationed at the San Antonio Military Pediatric Center and witnessed firsthand how deployment affected families and the death of a loved one changed their lives forever.

"I treated the sons and daughters of soldiers, airmen, Marines and sailors," said Dewees, a husband and father of three small children. "I thought a great deal about the well-being of my family, especially if something were to happen to me while deployed. I knew there was something that could be done to reach out to the families of our fallen service members."
He signed up for the Ironman Triathlon, set for April 13 in Tempe, Ariz., and set a goal of raising $50,000 during training and competing through Operation IronFamily. The Arizona event is a full-distance qualifying race for the Ironman Triathlon Championship Oct. 11 in Kailua Kona, Hawaii.

Donations are sent to Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund, a Maryland-based charity that assists families of service people and provides college scholarships for their children.
TO DONATE:
For more information or to make a donation to Operation IronFamily at Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund: www.cfsrf.org

Currently, donations are coming in slowly. "I'm at about $3,000 now," Dewees said. "There was a huge influx at the beginning, but now that I'm within the one-month window, I'm going to try to raise public awareness."

Dewees began his triathlon training last May while in Iraq. There was a 33-meter pool on the base, plenty of space within the camp to run, and he owned an indoor training bike.

Many times his routine was interrupted by gunfire or injuries to soldiers in his unit, the 1st Squadron of the 7th Calvary Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.

"If any IEDs (improvised explosive devices) went off within 20 miles of the base, you'd hear it and feel it," he said, "and I'd cut my run short."

The base clinic was staffed 24-7, but even when Dewees was off duty, if any soldier in his unit was injured, he went in.

"I kept my pager where I could hear it," he said. "A couple of times I was pulled out of the pool. And there were occasions where I was on a run, and I just went straight to the clinic in my gear."

He also had to contend with the unforgiving climate.

"One day I stepped outside my office and it felt like I stepped into an oven -- and it was only mid-June," he said. "I suffered through a 5-mile run and realized that I would have to start getting creative as summer approached. In July and August, temperatures hit 122 degrees."

Often, midday was the only time he could schedule laps in the camp pool, and by the end of summer the water temperature would be 95 degrees.

So he swam late at night, averaging two miles an hour, and built up to about 60 miles for a three-hour bike ride and an 8-mile run.

But he was also being coached by five-time Ironman winner Heather Gollnick, working with her Iron Edge Coaching regimen via her Web site, www.ironedgecoaching.com.

"Every two weeks Heather would send me workouts -- tailored specifically for my level of fitness and training environment," Dewees said. "I updated her on how I (was) doing, how I feel and what is working and what is not."

Dewees also used WorkoutLog (www.workoutlog.com/log/index.cfm), the online system used by endurance athletes and coaches to monitor progress.

"Many athletes have participated in athletic events to raise money and awareness for worthy causes," he said. "Groups such as Team in Training, the Komen Breast Cancer foundation and Lance Armstrong Foundation have found great success in the use of running races and bike rides.

"I hope that training for and participating in Ironman Arizona will increase support for military families who have had a loved one killed or seriously wounded in action. I want people to understand the essence of what I'm trying to do and who it's for. It represents the idea that the military family is strong, proud, and perseveres through difficult times."

Reporter Larry Muhammad can be reached at (502) 582-7091.

I've emailed many of you this article in the Courier Journal. It is about one of our really good friends who served in Iraq. He is doing the Ironman in April. This is a very worthy cause and I just want you all to be aware!!