In 2009, Ben Davis of Livonia, Michigan, was told he would never have a pain-free day again.
After multiple U.S. Army combat deployments throughout the Middle East between 2003 and 2009, Davis had sustained injuries throughout most of his body. He broke both of his wrists and hands, both clavicles, and numerous ribs; damaged his intercostal cartilage along his ribs; suffered bursitis in both shoulders; and sustained stress fractures in both of his feet. He lost significant hearing in both ears and had bilateral tinnitus (ringing in the ears). He was also diagnosed with PTSD and had a mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
According to Davis, who is now 39, these injuries were common, if not expected, in the military.
Its to be expected when you are in an environment where you are told that if you seek help, then you are weakand no one ever wants to be considered to be weak, said Davis. In our free time, we were encouraged to do hand-to-hand combat training with each other. When you werent doing that, you were working out or finding other ways to beat your body up. You just live in pain and deal with it.
It wasnt until he finished serving and moved back to the U.S. in 2009 that he fully comprehended the damage it had done to his body. The most severe injury that he sustained was to his hip, which he described as being nearly destroyed. It was so bad that doctors in Washington, D.C., told him he might never run or jump again, and that daily pain was inevitable.
When Davis was prescribed a cocktail of prescription pills to treat the pain as well as depression, anxiety, and insomnia, he was wary of the effects of depending upon medications for daily functioning.
From 2008 to 2011 I lost 13 friends to suicideguys just like me with similar injuries, said Davis. I didnt want to end up like that and I didnt know what was causing them to, but I knew that all of the medication probably wasnt a good thing.
Without the medication, however, Davis was constantly in pain and at a loss for solutions. Searching for answers, he enrolled in Wayne State University in Michigan to study kinesiology, with a research emphasis on non-pharmacological interventions for PTSD.
Though he was learning more about movement science, by 2017, Daviss own fitness was falling by the wayside. His sedentary lifestylewhich was prompted by chronic pain and little energy, due to depression and anxietyresulted in steady weight gain, and he eventually reached 400 pounds. At this point, Davis was desperate to try anything to get back the body he once had as a soccer player and soldier.
By accident, he came across the Keto diet, which emphasizes foods that are low in carbs and high in fats. Upon further research, he was surprised to find research that suggested the diet might be beneficial in treating PTSD and having positive effects on TBIs.
After adapting to the Keto diet, Davis lost 100 pounds in nine months, had significantly diminished pain, and his brain felt sharper. With his newfound energy, he began to exercise again, starting with light yoga and calisthenics, and eventually, he started to run.
By the end of 2017, Davis was able to run 10 miles continuously. The immense improvement that had happened in Daviss life got him thinking that if diet and exercise had changed his life, it might help the lives of other vets too.
This year, Davis decided to take on a ultrarunning challenge that would encourage others like him to combat the physical and mental effects of war with exercise, plus raise funds for nonprofits that help veterans. Earlier this fall, he started a Fundly page to raise money for Victory Gym VHC, Team RWB, and Arsenal of Hopeall of which provide services to veterans. Then on November 8, Davis he completed a 22-hour run in Livonia, Michigan, clocking 107 miles.
The 22 hours is significant because there are 22 veteran suicides per day, said Davis. I wanted to run it around Veterans Day to raise awareness for a few organizations that promote veteran recovery through physical activity, as well as to show both veterans and regular people that even with a PTSD diagnosis, you can achieve great things.
Ben Davis
Davis began training for the 22-hour challenge in July by running twice a week (no more than 10 miles each time), weight lifting three times a week, and doing yoga on three or four days per week. He eventually increased his mileage to 40 miles per week in August, then continued to maintain relatively low weekly mileage supplemented by yoga through the fall.
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Of the nonprofits he was raising funds and awareness for, Davis is most excited about Victory Gym, which offers one-on-one health coaching, rehab, and personal training free of cost for more than 1,000 veterans in the area.
Despite being hypothermic and dehydrated, Davis kept at it for the full 22 hours. His total mileage was almost 50 miles more than his previous record of 100k (62 miles).
I could not have done that if people didnt just show up throughout the 22 hours and say, Hey, Im here to run with you, said Davis. I was never alone that entire time.
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Michigan Veteran Runs 22 Hours to Support Others Living with PTSD - runnersworld.com
