FORT HOOD, Texas - Training: a word that is a part of every soldier's vocabulary.
Soldiers train for physical readiness, peacekeeping missions, war and for whatever the president may call upon them. However some soldiers train to go above and beyond.
Cpl. Douglas Long, a radio and communication security repairer with Forward Support Company F, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team "Grey Wolf," 1st Cavalry Division, is one of those soldiers.
Recently, Long trained for and completed "Badwater," an ultramarathon covering 135 miles in Death Valley, Calif.
Being accepted to compete in the Badwater race was a difficult task on its own. Runners have to submit a written application and must have completed three previous 100-mile ultramarathons within three years.
"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity," Long said. "Receiving the congratulations email was like winning the lottery. It was better than winning the lottery."
An ultramarathon is any marathon that covers more than the typical 26.2 miles -- it's typically more than 50 miles.
The 2013 Badwater race was held July 15 to 17 and only allowed for 100 participants. Long finished 10th with a time of 29 hours, 34 minutes and 44 seconds.
The race was 135 miles of nonstop running from Death Valley to Mount Whitney, Calif., where Long endured temperatures of up to 130 degrees.
But his road to Badwater and Death Valley, Calif., began before he enlisted in the Army in 2003.
While attending high school in Cheyenne, Wyo., he ran with the cross-country team, where his coach was Dr. Brent Weigner.
Weigner is the world record holder for running an ultramarathon on each of the continents within 267 days in 1999.
"[Weigner] was my inspiration for running," Long said of his then-coach.
After Long enlisted in the Army he was stationed in his home state of Hawaii at Wheeler Army Airfield. This is also where he trained for and completed his first ultramarathon; the HURT 100 - the Hawaiian Ultra Running Team 100 mile run around the big island of Hawaii.
"I just really wanted to test myself," he said about wanting to run an ultramarathon. "It just really called to me, there's just something about it."
While stationed in Hawaii he joined with the HURT, and ran the HURT 100 twice. The second followed a one year tour to Iraq.
Long said some of the soldiers were ready to redeploy and hang out, but he was just ready to run.
While deployed to Iraq, Long's desire to run stayed with him and he ran a biathlon at Camp Speicher, Iraq.
Long said running marathons and ultramarathons has helped him to be a better soldier and a better person.
"Ultrarunners are know for being meticulous planners," he said. " How well you plan the gear you take, the water you take, makes other things in life easier."
Upon redeployment, and after he ran his second HURT 100, Long was reassigned from Hawaii and moved back to the continental United States where he was station at Fort Hood, Texas in 2011.
Once he settled in with the Grey Wolf Brigade, 1st Cav., Long competed in the Hard Rock 100 in Southwest Colorado, which is another 100 mile ultramarathon that has a total elevation change of 67,984 feet or just less than 13 miles. That range of elevation decreases the amount of oxygen getting to the muscles and the low atmospheric pressure makes the blood less oxygen rich, in-turn fatigues the runner and slows performance.
He said running the ultramarathons takes more out of a runner than a regular marathon.
"It takes a long time for your hormones to get back up," he said. "It's very taxing on your endocrine system. You're euphoric for about a week then all of a sudden you crash and some runners get very depressed at this point."
He said that along with the fatigue, there is a zombie effect during the run.
"Trees will melt on you -- you'll see people running next to you who aren't there," he said. "You carry on conversations with people who aren't there."
But now that Long has completed the Badwater Race, he has set his sights on ultra-cycling and attaining the Death Valley Cup.
The Death Valley Cup recognizes athletes who complete two
specific types of ultras; the 135-mile Badwater ultramarathon and an ultra-cycling race known as Furnace Creek.
Only 20 people in the world have earned the cup, according to the 508 club website.
Long needs to finish the Furnace Creek 508 bicycle race to achieve the Cup. The ride crosses 10 mountain passes and stretches through the Mojave Desert. Throughout the ride, there is a total elevation gain of 35,000 feet or approximately 6.6 miles.
To qualify for Furnace Creek, Long completed two other ultracycling events.
Supporting him through all his endeavors are his wife, Katelyn, and two children.
"It's a sacrifice on his part and our part," Katelyn said. "I am very supportive, but he gets too stressed out toward the end of his training so I make sure to tell him when he's doing too much."
"Yes, I can get out of control sometimes," Douglas said.
Douglas also talked about his fellow soldiers and running.
"I'll never turn anyone down," he said. "I want people to be as passionate about running as I am."
Douglas' leadership was highly supportive of him throughout all his training and racing as well.
"It was a big deal for us; myself and the commander," said 1st Sgt. Milton Moody, former first sergeant for Long, currently first sergeant for FSC E, 3-8 Cav. "He influenced a lot of us and we kind of put him on display to show that if you put the time and the effort into something you enjoy doing you're going to be successful at it."
Moody said, that Long is very instrumental to everyone in the unit, not just some.
Long said he there are multiple benefits people can get from running and that he encourages everyone to run in some way because it helps to gain maturity.
"You gain maturity because at the end of the day, you and only you are to blame for your success or failure," he said.
Long will continue to train and attempt the Furnace Creek in October 2013 and push for his chance at the Death Valley Cup.
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