Rogiers to raise money for Special Operations Warrior Foundation

BY DANI TIETZ
dani@sjodaily.com

Some people may say they are crazy.

Ultramarathoners, anyone who runs a footrace longer than 26.219 miles, might agree that they are a rare breed.

But there is something that keeps those runners coming back, even if it means that they are running for more than 24 hours.

St. Joseph’s Ryan Rogiers’ journey to becoming someone who keeps coming back to ultramarathons began when he returned to the States from a year stationed in Iraq.

A former high school athlete, Rogiers was intrigued by the Chicago Marathon. At the time, he lived in Chicago, working as a chef for Alinea.

As he registered for the event, he realized that he could also make a difference by raising money to help fund Alzheimer’s research, a cause near-and-dear to his heart.

But when Rogiers moved back to his hometown to be with his lifelong love, Abbie, the annual Chicago Marathon no longer became feasible. Rogiers still wanted to raise money though, and he still wanted to run.

“I read this book called ‘Born to Run’,” he said.

“I kind of figured that if I’m going to keep raising money, maybe I should run further.”

Rogiers signed up for and ran 50k in Danville.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Rogiers remembered.

“I think Abbie had me on a recording after that saying that I’m never doing that again.”

But that sentiment didn’t last long.

In 2015, he ran a 50-mile footrace, then moved on to running a 100-mile race in California.

“I just fell in love with the sport,” he said.

“I love the people, I love being out on the trails; that’s where I go to think and get lost. Now I can’t stop.”

As the owner of The Wheelhouse and a father, Rogiers’ training time is limited.

During the week, Rogiers will get in five to seven miles whenever he can. He includes bodyweight training and strength training, then on the weekends he can usually get in a 20-mile run.

Figuring out the training routine was a learning curve, though. Rogiers started trying to get in 40-mile sessions to prepare.

“As I’ve grown older and wiser through my ultra-running years,” he said.

Now Rogiers focuses on getting his body in the best shape he can.

“It’s going to be hard and hurt no matter what,” he said. “Get as fit as you can and have long runs built into it and you’ll do just fine.”

He also had to learn how to pace himself throughout the race.

“I feel great in the beginning and I can run faster, but you have to slow yourself down and keep a pace. In the later stages of the race, it turns into a walk and job. You just keep yourself moving and eating so you can keep your nutrition up.”

There have been times when Rogiers wanted to give up.

In the North Face 50 in Wisconsin, he looked at his wife at mile 35, and said he couldn’t do it anymore.

“My good coach, Abbie, sat me down and was like, ‘Hold on. You’re not quitting. Just get some food, give it 10-minutes and we will see what happens.’”

After the break, Rogiers felt better and completed the course.

Having Abbie there during the race is a must for Rogiers.

“It’s huge for me,” he said.

Even though Abbie can’t always be there for the entire race, she will often show up a little over half-way through the run, when he needs her most.

Recently, she met Rogiers around mile 60, right before he was going into the evening hours.

“That’s the time when it gets tough,” he said. “I need somebody to help change my socks and put on new shoes because it hurts to bend over.”

Aside from making sure that he also gets the right food to keep moving forward, just the thought of seeing Abbie keeps Rogiers going.

“Just to have her there, mentally knowing that I get to see her in an hour, and she’ll help me and get me up and going, it’s huge,” he said.

Rogiers has participated in two 100-mile races in 2019.

The first two did not go as planned.

The wet trails in Ohio resulted in a twisted knee. Then during the middle of the night in Michigan, he jumped to the side of the trail to miss some runners who had fallen and hurt his knee again.

Running through all hours of the night took some getting used to. Aside from missing out on a night of sleep, Rogiers found that the runners had to be alert enough to miss tree stumps, roots and rocks along the trail.

“The burst of energy you get when the sun comes back up the next morning is, it’s huge,” he said. “It’s a brand new day.”

The two injuries could have sidelined him for the year, but Rogiers felt good enough to compete in another 100-mile run in Indiana on Oct. 13.

He hopes to one day be fast enough to finish before the sunrise.

It may be possible.

Rogiers finished his last race in 27 hours and 15 minutes, an hour ahead of his personal best. The evening hours were so cold that Rogiers spent about 2 hours in the car trying to warm up. He also stopped to eat.

Being with other runners who are just as “weird” as him, Rogiers said that the time spent with ultramarathoners is time well spent.

“We just love being out in the woods and being around other people who are just as crazy as we are,” he said.

Knowing they take a toll on the land, the ultramarthoners also give back to the environment.

The run in Indiana gave back to the Indiana State Park system to make sure the trails are kept up. Before runners are accepted into an ultramarathon in the western states, they have to show that they have put in at least eight hours on trail care.

“We take care of the land and materials because that’s where we love to be,” he said.

Rogiers is preparing to run a different type of course in 2020.

He has been accepted as one of 54 runners in the Destin Beach 100 over President’s Day weekend, Feb. 14-16. The run will raise money for another cause near-and-dear to Rogiers’ heart: the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides a post-secondary education to the surviving children of fallen special operations service members.

Luckily, the Rogiers family visits Florida at the end of January each year. Rogiers plans to spend time running on the beach to train.

To kick-off his fundraising effort, Rogiers will host a seven-course dinner in partnership with Momentum beverage on Nov. 15 at The Wheelhouse.

Reservations for the dinner are currently being taken. Dinner is $70 per person. Cocktail pairings and dinner are $100 per person.

Rogiers hopes to raise $3,000 that night to help him reach his goal.

His fundraising efforts will continue until the run that begins on Valentine’s Day.

This isn’t the first time that Rogiers has held a fundraising dinner at The Wheelhouse. Each summer he remembers his late mom, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2006.