<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span></span></div><div><div>Courtesy of the <i>Army Times</i> at:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/2016/05/25/soldier-reflects-record-breaking-100-mile-gas-mask-run/84860406/">http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/2016/05/25/soldier-reflects-record-breaking-100-mile-gas-mask-run/84860406/</a></div><div><br></div><div>---------------------------------</div><div><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 32px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><b>Soldier reflects on record-breaking 100-mile gas-mask run</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After slogging through a rain-soaked start Friday night, Sgt. 1st Class Augusto "Tito" Piñeiro settled in for more than a day's worth of running in a gas mask, covering 100 miles to draw attention to the needs of wounded veterans.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">And while the mask and the distance proved no match for the 37-year-old soldier, he wasn't exactly bright-eyed when his ordeal neared its end.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"I was falling asleep Sunday morning when I was running," Piñeiro said Tuesday in a phone interview with Army Times. "I had a buddy of mine who came down from Fort Bragg (North Carolina). He was literally holding my hand, running with me, waking me up when I was falling asleep."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Piñeiro stayed awake, hitting the century mark after 37.5 hours of running during the Knock on Wood 100 event in Greenville, South Carolina. The effort more than doubles the 41 miles covered by Marine veteran Aaron Benningfield while wearing a gas mask in 2015; Benningfield's mark is recognized as the world record by</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><a href="https://recordsetter.com/world-record/distance-run-while-wearing-gas-mask/45525" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-decoration: none;">RecordSetter.com</a><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Piñeiro said he hopes Guinness World Records will certify his South Carolina run, and that he and his supporters did the required record-keeping, but that wasn't his inspiration.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"There’s already people on Facebook saying they’re going to break it," he said of the 100-mile mark. "But I didn’t go there to break a record. I went there to raise awareness for</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><a href="http://enduringwarrior.org/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-decoration: none;">Operation Enduring Warrior</a><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">. The previous record was 41 miles. I could’ve stopped at 42 miles. It wasn’t about the record."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Founded by veterans to offer support programs for wounded warriors, OEW's most visible ambassadors are members of the Masked Athlete Team, who assist wounded vets during obstacle courses, marathons and other competitions. Piñeiro has worked with the nonprofit since 2014 and like other MAT members uses a call sign instead of his name while under the mask, going by "Unbreakable."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">More than 40 people, including members of Piñeiro's unit and OEW volunteers, came out to support his effort. When he's not on the trail under a mask, Piñeiro serves with B Company, 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, out of Fort Stewart, Georgia.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"The amount of support I got from everybody was overwhelming," the platoon sergeant said. "With the amount of support that showed up, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to accomplish 100 miles."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">He wrapped up the race Sunday morning, and aside from sore feet and some "zoning out" on the trail thanks to lack of rest, the soldier said he made it through unscathed. After some thank-yous and some photos, he headed home before noon, but sleeping en route while his wife, Nina, did the driving wasn't an option.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"We have a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old," Piñeiro said. "It was one of those rides."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">---------------------</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sgt. 1st Class Augusto "Tito" Piñeiro ran 100 miles while wearing a gas mask over the weekend at a race in Greenville, South Carolina.</span></div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.tomandrodna.com/Photos/Army/SFC_Pineiro_100_Mile_Run.jpg">http://www.tomandrodna.com/Photos/Army/SFC_Pineiro_100_Mile_Run.jpg</a></div><div><br></div><div>---------------------------------<br><br><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)</span></div><div><a href="http://www.moscowcares.com/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">http://www.MoscowCares.com</font></a></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>