Prairie Fire Marathon: Kevin Diemer does his best for fellow veterans

Twenty-two a day, Kevin Diemer can’t stop thinking about.

Twenty-two: The number of veterans who commit suicide per day, according to a 2012 report from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.

And Diemer, a 29-year-old Wichita native who joined the Army in 2007 and was deployed to Iraq twice.

The passion to shrink the number of suicides spills into everything he does, including Sunday when Diemer will run in the Prairie Fire Marathon. He will run in his first marathon, all 26.2 miles, to honor veterans and help raise awareness to the epidemic.

His greatest act will come at the mile 22 marker when, during the race, Diemer will get down and count out 22 push-ups.

“Twenty-two is a number that has affected me and and I know several others who have struggled with loneliness and depression,” Diemer said. “I’m hoping to inspire other veterans to keep themselves active and keep doing things and accomplishing goals. Our service may be over, but our lives are not.”

A soldier and his mentor

Diemer met Justin Fitch on his second deployment to Iraq when the two were stationed in Tikrit in July 2009. Diemer was in human resources and worked in a small unit that reported directly to Fitch, a no-nonsense captain from New Jersey who was three years older than Diemer

“He’s one of those people when you report back to, you better have your stuff squared away,” Diemer said, “or else he’s going to tell you straightforward you have to do better.”

But Diemer appreciated having someone hold him accountable and the two formed a bond that lasted longer than their eight-month deployment.

They stayed in close communication with one another when they returned home, more than just the occasional text or Facebook message. Diemer considered Fitch more than just a friend: He was a mentor and someone who inspired him.

But two years after Fitch returned, he was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer and not given long to live. He spent the final days of his life, which ended earlier this month, fighting to help reverse the epidemic of veteran suicide.

“A lot of people in his situation wouldn’t be able to turn it into a positive like he did,” Diemer said. “He was still trying to help accomplish a greater mission that was bigger than himself and he inspired so many. It really was his final mission.”

Now it’s Diemer’s mission.

He created a fundraiser through Active Heroes, a 501c3 charity organization helping veterans, active duty military and their families, and he wants to carry on Fitch’s legacy.

“Whenever I needed someone to talk to, he was the person I could call,” Diemer said. “He was the first one I talked to about running in the marathon and he was the first one to donate to my campaign.”

Active Heroes coordinates events around the country to help raise awareness to their cause, but also relies on people like Diemer to help.

“People like Kevin, who want to make a difference and end this epidemic of veteran suicide, are really our biggest supporters,” said Scott Bruzek, the director of operations for Active Heroes. “Grassroots supporters are the ones that make the biggest difference, so we really appreciate everything Kevin is doing and has done to build support.”

Advancing the cause

When Diemer returned to civilian life in the spring of 2011, he tried to make new friends, reconnect with old ones, and enroll in school.

The transition to life after service was a struggle, something Diemer wasn’t accustomed to.

“Every service member comes back different,” Diemer said. “You find yourself lonely a lot and struggle dealing with failures. In the military, failing is not an option. You don’t have a choice to fail. So when you fail, you just feel miserable.”

Diemer leaned heavily on Fitch during this period in his life, calling him regularly to sort through a wide range of emotions. He was frustrated and scared, fighting off depression.

But with the encouragement of Fitch, Diemer was able to find structure and reclaim his life. He began working at Wichita State University and still serves in the 108th Aviation Regiment in Topeka as a medic.

“What I remember most is that he would always tell me, ‘If you’re going to do it, then do it the best you can,’ ” Diemer recalled. “And that’s something that has stuck with me.”

Diemer said running is a possible outlet for veterans to stay active and help battle depression. After training with the Local Joes program and Fleet Feet Wichita (formerly GoRun Wichita), Diemer sees many parallels between training for a marathon and military routine.

“In the military, you consistently have things you have to get done, whatever it is, you’re constantly in training,” Diemer said. “So that’s why I’m going to run a marathon. You have to train for it and you get to set goals for yourself.”

The goal Sunday is to give nothing less than his best.

Diemer knows that Fitch would demand it.

“I’m not going to be competing for the win or a Boston qualifying time, but I am going to do the best that I can,” Diemer said. “Anything less than that, to me, is a failure.”

Racing in remembrance

During a training run on a hot, sticky night in September, Diemer was ready to call it quits.

He felt near the point of exhaustion and his body was telling him not to continue. He slowed to walk and told his trainer, Winston Kenton, that he was done for the day.

“I guess I did subtly guilt trip him,” Kenton said, laughing. “I just said, ‘OK, you’re welcome to come back but you’ll have to make it up later.’ That was all that he needed.”

After taking a couple of steps back to his car, Diemer found the determination to finish the run that day.

He figures he is going to face a similar desire to stop at some point in the race on Sunday and he understands how unappealing it sounds to run 22 miles, come to a complete stop to do 22 push-ups, then run four more miles.

But once he says he’s going to do something, Diemer has always followed through.

“Running a race is as much mental as it is physical,” Diemer said. “Mentally, your brain can do a lot of amazing things when you don’t think your body can. And when people are expecting you to do something, I think that’s even more motivation to do it.”

He doesn’t know where he will find the strength, but Diemer is confident he will summon it on Sunday.

And when Diemer finishes with his honorary push-ups with his military friends who have and continue to struggle with depression in mind, he knows he will have carried on the final mission of his best friend and mentor.

“I know Justin would be proud of me,” Diemer said. “As long as I did my best.”