>>> NOW TO A STORY THAT WILL INSPIRE YOU.
INSPIRE YOU. CARL WAS AN AVID OUTDOORSMAN
UNTIL HE SUFFERED A NEAR-FATAL
FALL WHEN HE WAS 37 YEARS OLD.
>> AFTER YEARS OF RECOVERY, CARL
OVERCAME THE ODDS, AND LITTLE
DID HE KNOW HIS EXPERIENCE WOULD
CHANGE THE PATH OF HIS LIFE AND
LEAD HIM ON A JOURNEY AROUND THE
WORLD.
WORLD. >> CARL BYINGTON HAS ALWAYS
LOVED ADVENTURE BUT ONE MOUNTAIN
CLIMBING TRIP IN SEPTEMBER 2003
CHANGED EVERYTHING.
CHANGED EVERYTHING. >> WE WERE ABOUT 300 FEET UP ON
THE SIDE OF THE ROCK.
THE PROTECTION POPPED OUT.
>> CARL FELL 70 FEET DOWN THE
MOUNTAIN.
MOUNTAIN. >> THIS POINT I’M DOING ABOUT 40
MILES AN HOUR.
AT THE LAST SPLIT SECOND, THE
ROPE JERKED ME LIKE THIS UPRIGHT
AND I HIT BOTH MY LEGS ON THE
SIDE OF THE ROCK.
STRANGELY ENOUGH THE THOUGHT
THAT WENT THROUGH MY MIND WAS,
WOW, THAT LOOKS PRETTY BAD.
I DON’T KNOW IF I’LL BE ABLE TO
RUN THE CHICAGO MARATHON.
>> IT WAS AN ARDUOUS THREE-HOUR
TREK DOWN THE MOUNTAIN.
>> CAN’T PUT ANY WEIGHT ON MY
RIGHT LEG.
RIGHT LEG. MY LEFT LEG IS HURT AS WELL.
STILL 230 FEET UP ON THE ROCK.
TOOK US ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF
TO GET DOWN FROM THE VERTICAL
PART BECAUSE IT WAS NOT ONLY
LIKE CHECKING, COMMUNICATING BUT
DOUBLE CHECK, TRIPLE-CHECKING.
AGAIN, YOU’RE HURT.
YOU’RE NOT DEAD.
UNLESS YOU MAKE ANOTHER MISTAKE.
WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT BY THE
TIME WE GOT DOWN TO THE BASE OF
THE ROCK, MOUNTAIN RESCUE WAS
THERE.
THERE. >> AFTER ONE INITIAL SURGERY,
CARL WAS AIRLIFTED TO GUYSINGER
MEDICAL CENTER IN PENNSYLVANIA.
>> FIRST THING THAT GOES THROUGH
YOUR MIND WHEN YOU SEE AN INJURY
TO CARL’S EXTENT IS HOW CAN WE
SAVE THE LEG?
AND NUMBER TWO WOULD BE, HOW CAN
WE RESTORE HIS FUNCTION?
>> THE RECOVERY PROCESS WAS SLOW
AND FILLED WITH SETBACKS.
>> UNFORTUNATELY, AFTER A MONTH
OR SO, IT SHOULD HAVE SHOWN SOME
PROGRESS TOWARDS HEALING, BUT IT
DIDN’T.
DIDN’T. NOW AMPUTATION IS AN OPTION IF
THE BONE CAN’T HEAL.
I HAD TWO YOUNG SONS AT THE
TIME, 4 AND 6.
AND THEY ARE ALWAYS USED TO
SEEING DAD DO ALL THESE COOL
THINGS AND NOT BE AFRAID TO DO
ANYTHING.
ANYTHING. AND THEN JUST SAW HOW BUSTED UP
I WAS AND HOW HURT I WAS.
HOW WAS I GOING TO DO ALL THE
THINGS I WANTED TO DO WITH THEM
AS WELL WHAT I HAD FOR THE REST
OF MY LIFE.
>> AFTER A BONE GRAF SURGERY,
CARL’S BONES BEGAN TO REGROW AND
THE ROAD TO RECOVERY BEGAN.
>> THE PIVOTAL MOMENT FOR ME WAS
AFTER I CAME BACK FROM THE
HOSPITAL, PUT A BATHROOM SCALE
NEXT TO THE TABLE AND JUST TOOK
MY LEG AND PUT AS MUCH WEIGHT AS
I COULD AND I COULD PUT FIVE
POUNDS.
POUNDS. WOW, I’VE GOT SOME WORK TO DO.
NEARLY TWO YEARS OF PHYSICAL
THERAPY LATER, CARL WAS READY TO
PUT HIS INJURY BEHIND HIM.
>> I NEED TO PROVE TO MYSELF
EMOTIONALLY, PSYCHOLOGICALLY, I
CAN DO THIS.
I WAS TRAINING TO RUN A
MARATHON.
MARATHON. WHAT BETTER WAY TO PROVE I CAN
RECOVER THAN TO RUN THE
MARATHON.
MARATHON. >> AFTER FIVE SURGERIES OVER
THREE YEARS, CARL SIGNED UP FOR
A MARATHON IN ATHENS, GREECE.
>> IT FELT THIS GLORIOUS TO BE
THERE AND THEN RUNNING OVER THE
MOUNTAINS, DOWN INTO ATHENS
THROUGH THE STREETS, I WAS DOING
IT WHEN I THOUGHT THERE WAS A
CHANCE I WOULD NEVER WALK AGAIN
WITH MY OWN LEGS.
I SOMEHOW MANAGED TO FINISH THE
26.
26. I HAD THE LAST 0.2 MILES AND
JUST RAISING MY ARMS UP AS I RAN
INTO THE OLYMPIC STADIUM.
>> CARL WOULD THEN TACKLE SIX OR
MARATHONS, EACH IN A DIFFERENCE
CONTINENT, COMPLETING HIS
SEVENTH MARATHON TEN YEARS AFTER
HIS ACCIDENT.
HIS ACCIDENT. >> I RAN THE VICTORIA FALLS
MARATHON IN ZIMBABWE.
I WAS HAPPY TO FINISH THE
SEVENTH.
SEVENTH. DIDN’T MATTER WHAT TIME IT WAS.
I WENT ACROSS THE LINE, I JUST
WENT SEVEN, THAT’S IT.
WHAT I LEARNED THE MOST IN THIS
EXPERIENCE IS TO TRUST AND
BELIEVE IN MYSELF AS CAPTAIN OF
MY RECOVERY.
MY RECOVERY. IT WAS MORE ABOUT THE JOURNEY
AND LESS ABOUT THE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS. >> IN THE YEARS SINCE COMPLETING
SEVEN MARATHONS IN SEVEN
KONTINENTKONT
KONTINENTKONT CONTINENTS, CARL IS STILL
TRAVELING THE WORLD.
HE JUST CLIMBED THE TALLEST
MOUNTAIN IN ARGENTINA.
>> LIFE ISN’T ABOUT ESCAPING ALL
ADVERSITY.
ADVERSITY. LIFE IS ABOUT ACCEPTING THAT
THERE ARE GOING TO BE ADVERSE
TIMES.
TIMES. YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE MISTAKES.
YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE BAD DAYS.
BUT ALSO, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
FOR HOW YOU REACT TO IT AND WHAT
YOU DO WITH IT.
THAT WAS PART OF THE GIFT THAT I
WAS GIVEN THAT I COULD
ACCOMPLISH AND CONTINUE ON MY
LIFE WITH THE ADVENTURE
ACTIVITIES I WANTED TO DO.
EVERYBODY’S JOURNEY IS UNIQUE.
AND FOR ME, I WAS BLESSED THAT
THIS COULD BECOME A UNIQUE PART
OF MY JOURNEY.
>> BEAUTIFUL.
>> BEAUTIFUL. >> GOOD STUFF.
>> CARL IS NOW KNOWN AS, WHAT
ELSE, MARATHON MAN.
ALL THESE YEARS AFTER HIS FALL,
SEVEN MARATHONS LATER, RECENTLY