Veterans marching for veterans

For the challenge. For the camaraderie. For the.....fun?
Ask the four Custer veterans who in two weeks will embark upon a 110-mile endurance march as part of the Black Hills Veterans March and Marathon why they want to walk the entirety of the  Mickelson Trail over the course of four days, and you’ll get four different answers.
“I watched a couple of teams that finished last year and it was quite the challenge,” said Army veteran Jeff Prior, who will be joined by fellow Army veteran Nate Bing, Marine veteran Jay Gismondi and Navy Corpsman Gary Carr on the march. “One of the things we talked about on the march last year was how important it is for people to do hard things. It’s very, very important for a human to do something hard, something that requires training and thought. That definitely fit the bill for us.”
Yes, the planning for the 110-mile trek actually began last year during the event, when the four who will do this year’s march were joined by five others for the 16-mile “mini march” last year.
Or, as Carr puts it with a laugh, “the easy 16 miles we did last year.”
“I think it was pretty well decided that day we were going to do (the endurance march) this year,” Prior said.
It’s clear, however, the why is not as important as the who for the four men involved. The who, in this case, is the veterans who benefit from the annual event. Each year all of the proceeds from the Black Hills Veterans March is put toward programs that benefit local veterans. One year it was a program that provides highly-trained service dogs for veterans. Last year it was for the Avenue of Flags at the Black Hills Veterans Cemetery outside of Sturgis. Money has also been donated to benefit the State Veterans Home through a program that pays for hotel accommodations for family members of home residents who are in hospice.
According to black
hillsveteransmarch.org, the march/marathon pays tribute to the many sacrifices that this nation’s veterans have made in the past and continue to make today.
Since its inception the memorial march has grown to hundreds of marchers from across the United States. Events are offered in Teams (Military and Civilian), Individuals (Military and Civilian), Heavy Military (with a 35-pound rucksack), Marathon, Mini-March, Mini-March Teams and 110-Mile Endurance March.
The event takes place Sept. 17-20, and the four Custer men will start in Edgemont—walking 32 miles the first day—before finishing up with three consecutive 26-mile days. They will be assisted by Air Force veteran Jon Gindhart, who will support the four by delivering food, supplies, picking them up at the end of each day and dropping them off the next day.
If all goes well they will end the march in Deadwood Sept. 20, where they will be greeted by organizers, fellow veterans and a patch that signifies they persevered through all 110 miles.
The four have been religiously training, both individually and as a group, for the march. Rain or shine (and twice hail) they are putting in the miles, walking the trail, preparing their bodies and minds for the march. The four vary in age from 40 to almost 60, but all have a base level of fitness they are building upon to prepare for the march.
“We started training together on the weekends, during the week, holding each other accountable for putting the miles in,” Prior said. “That really formed the basis of what’s happened this past year.”
Prior said much of the preparation is working through the soreness that comes with walking such long distances, and getting their feet acclimated to the miles and miles, something that has to be done regardless of how good of shape someone is already in.
“If you’re not hardened off, you’re going to be in trouble,” Prior said.
The training takes place whenever the men can find time, whether it’s in the morning, evening or on weekends. All have jobs, lives, families, etc. they must tend to, but all have pledged to each other to put in the work that gives them the best chance of crossing the finish line at the Deadwood Rodeo Grounds Sept. 20.
They are trying to go as fast as 17-minute miles while training, hoping that pace will make the actual march—when they can go a little slower—seem if only a tad easier. When the march comes they are on the trail by 5 a.m. and must be off the trail by 5 p.m., meaning they have 12 hours each day to complete the miles they are required to hit.
Gindhart’s help will be key, as his strategic supply drops mean the men have to carry less supplies. Those supplies are mainly water and carbs, as they must stay hydrated and energized throughout the course of the event.
And while they have been training diligently and are confident they can finish, they admit a lot of it is not up to them. There could be extreme fatigue. There could be injury. There could be one of their worst fears—blisters. Marching 26 miles is something they have all done and know they can do. Doing it four straight days? Therein lies the challenge.
“There is a lot of unknown with this,” Prior said.
“We are going to do our best,” Gismondi said.
“I’m always secretly praying my knees hold out,” Bing said with a  smile.
“We are challenging ourselves, but also rallying each other,” Carr said, saying too many in life don’t do well with being inconvenienced. “If we have to slow down, there’s still rallying going on. It’s going to be a great pain. I’m going to enjoy it.”
For Gismondi, walking 110 miles with men he considers brothers is a vacation.
“I don’t have to work, I don’t have to deal with bills or chores—this is awesome,” he said. “All I have to do is walk.”
Gismondi is confident all four are “getting that patch,” and the four look forward to arriving in Deadwood and celebrating their accomplishment. It may take a few minutes of getting off their feet and letting it all sink in before they celebrate, however modest that celebration may be.
“I want to see how I feel after it. I have to recover before I can truly celebrate,” Carr said.
Perhaps the most gratifying part will be when the four hear the veterans organization that is receiving the funds from the event, bringing them full circle and 110 miles back to the who, not the why.
“You know it’s all worth it when you see that it’s going to good causes,” Gismondi said.
As members of the local chapter of American Contingency (Amcon), a nationwide organization that provides information, training and a community network to help families and individuals prepare for, adapt to and overcome crisis moments such as natural disasters or other difficult times, the four have already challenged themselves together through training and other grueling competitions. 
Amcon aims to build self-reliance and resilience by connecting people, offering resources on preparedness and survival skills and creating localized teams to support members in times of need.
As such the four will support each other for four days in September, walking together not only for each other but for the many veterans who will also participate, as well as those who cannot.
Just as with Amcon, they hope to lead by example and show others that with some determination and a little help from your friends, you can achieve what you dream.
They’re doing so one mile at a time.
“We’re not superheroes. We are regular people,” Gismondi said. “We’ve all been through things in life, but anybody can get out there and do it if they train hard and believe in themselves. Always forward. Never quit.”