Friends team up to run marathons for health

For Dominguez, a general surgeon at Ferrell-Duncan Clinic, marathons are a way to raise funds for research on neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that affects one in 3,000, including his 10-year-old son, Eric. To date, Dominguez has raised more than $100,000 for NF research.

For Bryngelson, owner of Springfield’s 22-year-old Servpro franchise, supporting Dominguez’s effort and spreading the word about NF are part of his goal, but on a personal level, the marathons represent a major lifestyle change for the better.

Running in marathons helped Bryngelson shed almost 100 pounds, fight a family history of heart disease and set a healthy example for his kids.

For both men, though, the core issue is health.

Run for Eric

As a surgeon – and a former Army reservist who served in Kosovo and Iraq – Dominguez is a man of action. But his expert medical knowledge and keen surgical skill were of no avail when his son was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, which can cause tumors to grow anywhere on the body but especially in nerve tissue. Neurofibromatosis also can cause bone deformities or curvature of the spine.

While NF can be passed from parent to child – which occurs in half of all NF cases – the remainder of the mutations occur spontaneously, without a parental link. Such was the case for Dominguez’s son, Eric.

Becoming a member of the NF Marathon Team is a way for Dominguez to help Eric, as well as the thousands of others affected by NF.

“I’m not a basic science genetic researcher, so I can’t really help in that regard, but I figured I could at least raise some money so somebody else can do the research,” Dominguez said.

The 43-year-old Dominguez has run nine marathons to raise thousands of dollars for the Children’s Tumor Foundation, www.ctf.org. In 2007, he ran four marathons between October and December – the Chicago Marathon, the Louis and Clark Sioux City Marathon, the San Antonio Marathon and the Las Vegas Marathon.

Before joining the NF Marathon Team, Dominguez would run just to stay in shape. “I was never a real runner per se,” he said.

In fact, if it weren’t for such a good cause, he probably wouldn’t do it.

“It’s one of these things that you hate it while you’re training for it, and when you’re doing it, it’s not exactly that much fun. But hey, when you’re done, it’s great,” Dominguez said with a laugh.

Dominguez trains by running three or four times a week on a treadmill or in his neighborhood.

On Saturdays, when he’s not on call, he’ll go to Sequiota Park, Wilson’s Creek Battlefield or the Frisco Trail at 6 a.m. to run up to 20 miles.

“And that’s one of these things you have to do with a friend because it’s a little too painful to do alone,” Dominguez said.

That’s where Bryngelson comes in.

Friendly inspiration

Bryngelson and Dominguez met through their church, Ridgecrest Baptist.

Inspired by Dominguez’s example, and wanting to improve his own health, Bryngelson started running two and a half years ago. He completed his first marathon at Dominguez’s side in Washington, D.C., and they’ve been running together ever since.

The two train together, going on 10- to 20-mile runs and cross-training weekly at Cox North Fitness Center with Mark Millsap, assistant running coach at Drury University.

“It’s a life-changing thing for me,” Bryngelson said.

When he started running, Bryngelson said he was 37, out of shape and overweight. Now, he’s lost 90 pounds, and he ran in five marathons just this past fall. He feels great, but the effect goes beyond his own health. With heart disease on his side of the family and diabetes on his wife’s side, he felt a responsibility to model healthy behavior for his children.

“I have two sons, and I want them to be fit during their adult lives,” he said. “I want them to know that they’re able to maintain a fit body and achieve things.”

And he hopes to inspire others, as well.

“If I, Dan Bryngelson, can do it, there’s not a person on this earth who can’t do it,” he said. “Honestly, I was a couch potato, overweight, had no desire, and I just had an eye-opening thing happen to me.”

The wall

The eye-opening goes beyond health and fitness to taking care of business.

At the 20-mile mark, he said, marathon runners hit what they call “the wall.” Although the race is about three-quarters done, the 20-mile mark is considered half the race.

“The reason they say that is because it’s a mental game from right there,” Bryngelson said. “From Mile 20 to Mile 26, you’re just reaching deep inside yourself and saying yes you can do this, just do it, push yourself, get it done.”

That same approach, he said, is vital to business.

“There are things that we all don’t like about our jobs,” Bryngelson said. “But if you just push yourself – yes I can do this, get it done, it’ll be for my benefit, for the company’s benefit, if I just push myself – you can do it.”

Moving for Health

Going the Distance is an occasional series in which Springfield Business Journal will examine other efforts by local businesspeople to hit the streets – through running, walking, biking or other physical activities – to raise money for medical research and improve health outcomes for themselves or others.

Related Story: Adding up the miles for neurofibromatosis