Running into battle: Ukrainian Ironman who swapped marathons for the frontline

On the 24th of February 2022, Dmytro was woken up by a phone call from friends from Myrhorod: "They told me they were being bombed. At first, I misunderstood and thought they meant they were being robbed. I couldn’t quite grasp why they were calling me, and not the police."

Dmytro, an experienced marathon runner and Ironman competitor, had long been drawn to the solitude and discipline of long-distance running.

"Running allowed me to organise my thoughts and clean up my mind. It was like tidying up a room", he told Euronews. Running a marathon is a mental battle, a test of resilience, and a way to push oneself to the limit.

Trading his running gear for a military uniform

Two days after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, he made up his mind and traded his running gear for a military uniform. He joined the Poltava Territorial Defence Forces.

The skills he had amassed over the years became invaluable as Dmytro faced a new type of marathon. War demands not only physical strength but deep reserves of emotional and psychological resilience.

Even amidst the chaos of war, he continued to run with one of his comrades and fellow runner, Serhii. "I used to train him before the war. During our service, we were always together: Patrolling, training, running", Dmytro told Euronews.

In November 2023, Serhii was killed in action near Avdiivka. "If it weren’t for my injury, I would’ve been with him. Maybe things would’ve turned out differently."

"This is probably the end"

Dmytro was wounded on January 19, 2023, on a combat mission near the Ukrainian city of Soledar in the Bakhmut region. An enemy reconnaissance and sabotage group flanked Dmytro and his battalion. He remembered the battle lasting about 30 to 40 minutes. Along with his commander and a comrade, he moved closer to the centre of the fight before they split up.

"I noticed fire coming from a small nearby village and started firing at the first point to suppress them", he said, adding that from the second point, a shot was fired in his direction. "I only noticed out of the corner of my eye that the projectile was coming toward me", he remembered.

Dmytro tried to fall into the observation post to take cover but didn’t manage to do it in time. He sustained a severe blast injury: "My first thought was: 'This is probably the end'. But then I opened my eyes and saw my teeth scattered on the bottom of the pit. I was oddly happy because it meant my eyes weren’t injured", he said.

Dmytro signalled to the commander he wanted to evacuate on his own since his injuries couldn’t be treated on-site, and he feared losing consciousness from blood loss. Eventually, he left with some of his comrades, and after walking 100 meters, he realised he could manage the way.

"I told my comrades to return", he continued. Dmytro walked for two kilometres, dropping to the ground after each mortar blast. "When I reached the next position, our soldiers didn’t recognise me because I was covered in blood."

To identify himself, he had to write his name in the mud.

"If you make it through the night, we’ll fly you to Kyiv"

Shortly after, he arrived in Kramatorsk, where he got the initial treatment before being transferred to Dnipro.

There, the doctors told him: "If you make it through the night, we’ll fly you to Kyiv. If not, we won’t waste time and medicine." He woke up the next morning and, as promised, was flown to Kyiv, where his long journey of recovery started.

"During the attack, one piece of shrapnel hit my head and my shoulder. The doctors advised against removing it. According to them, it seems to have encapsulated and isn’t moving,” he explained, saying that this injury would most likely stay with him for the rest of his life.

"Another piece of shrapnel hit my side, and one pierced my left lung, causing it to collapse. My nose was completely torn off, and nearly all my upper teeth were knocked out, with only about four or five lower teeth remaining. My lower jaw was also fractured", Dmytro added.

After countless surgeries, doctors were able to rebuild his nose using skin and cartilage from his ears and ribs.

"My upper teeth were replaced. I still need work on my lower teeth", he added. His recovery is ongoing, but frequent surgeries are taking a toll on his health, which is why he is now taking several months' breaks between them.

Running to recovery?

After several months, Dmytro started training and running again, but quickly reduced his training. Running, for him, had changed. Now, he doesn’t feel the need to train for results or prepare for a big race, as he did before Russia's full-scale invasion.

"To get through an Ironman, you train almost every day for eight to nine months, following a strict regimen", he explained.

Now, that’s no longer the case for him. "All of this is, of course, connected to the war because there is only one thing you want: For it to end quickly. It mustn't end with capitulation or defeat for us. There’s simply no other option", he added.

He mentioned running still giving him some moral and physical satisfaction, but it’s incomparable to the feeling he had before Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Kyiv’s Nova Post Marathon kicks off without a pistol

"In the early months, my body reacted painfully to loud sounds", he explained. His first instinct was to duck or drop to the ground. "Over time, I started calming myself, but my body would still flinch at noises like car honks or loud bangs. One time, a snapped tow cable sounded like a gunshot, and I found myself crouched on the ground", he remembered. The sound of gunshots also plays a role in marathons, with the pistol being used to mark the start of the race.

Recently, at the Kyiv Nova Post First Barrier-Free Marathon, the organisers introduced a new starting sound, replacing the pistol. This new sound, "Start without a shot", developed with PTSD experts and sound designers, aimed to make the event more inclusive for those sensitive to gunshot noises, such as Dmytro.

Over the course of a month, an international team of experts, including sound artists from Barking Owl in Los Angeles, PTSD specialists, experts from Nova Post and psychoacoustics researchers from the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, collaborated to create a new starting sound for marathons. This initiative was sparked by the need to replace the traditional pistol signal, which can trigger trauma in participants, particularly veterans.

The result of their research revealed that the new sound significantly lowered stress levels, with an average alpha wave drop of just 3.8 %, compared to a 24.9 % drop associated with the pistol signal.

The final composition features a three-part structure: A countdown to prepare runners, a distinctive synthetic starting signal that stands apart from the noise, and a resonant echo designed to foster community. According to the organisers of the marathon, the testing demonstrated that this innovative sound significantly reduced stress levels compared to the gun.

"It’s a fantastic initiative", Dmytro said, adding that it was heartening to know that there were people in the organisation who thought about this, worked on it, and most importantly, made it happen.

Sounds that trigger PTSD

Loud sounds like slamming doors, air defence systems, and explosions could trigger veterans. "I’ve seen guys collapse, have seizures, or lose consciousness", added Dmytro. In his case, he has an internal dialogue to remind himself he isn’t at the frontline. "I was on high doses of antidepressants for a year and a half and have been off them for a month. It’s hard. One moment, I feel great, the next, I'm irritated or anxious", he explained.

For him, staying busy helps. Not being discharged from the military yet, he raises funds and auctions war trophies to help his comrades. "It keeps me connected and eases the guilt of losing friends."

Russia frequently attacks all regions of the country with drones and missiles, creating an atmosphere of terror. For Ukrainians, the sound of air raid sirens has become somewhat of a normality, but living in a constant state of terror takes its toll.

"I’ve come to understand that mental health is even more important than physical health", said Dmytro. "When you feel good inside, everything outside will be okay.” He emphasised the need to work on one’s mental health, by seeing a therapist and engaging in hobbies.

"When I was in hospital, a psychologist came with an artist, and we painted. It genuinely helped relieve the pressure, providing a release for aggression. It was my own creativity which helped me to refocus", he remembered. "It worked, even those small steps. A psychologist is essential, absolutely essential. If someone with PTSD or war trauma said they didn’t need a psychologist, that’s often the first marker they do", he said.

Spending money on drones or marathons?

"Some people say we don’t need marathons, that instead of spending money on races, we should buy drones. Yes, drones are very much needed, but these events are also important. Marathons, public events, and even grants to support veterans in realising their ideas and dreams are essential", he said. 

Because even in the darkest time, dreams are born. "Many thoughts and ideas come to you at war. War is like a marker, where you filter all your beliefs and ideas, and start to see things differently", concluded Dmytro.