This is the 10th Memorial Anniversary of Captain Philip Dykeman USMC KIA Iraq. We are running the Marine Corps Marathon on October 28th 2018. We have 13 runners signed up this year to run a Marathon. That is 26.2 miles on race day. But the journey will take between 400 and 500 training miles! We are dedicated to Captain Dykeman’s Family and memory! We have 1st time Marathoners, Multiple Marathoners, and also a Marine that served with Phil!
Running is not about being better than someone else, it’s about being better then you used to be. I have been a runner for 10 years. I went from the coach to a Marathon in 3 months. The last 10 years I have run over 4000 miles. Nothing has affected me more than Phil’s death. It sucks that it took a tragedy to start growing up. My family and friends would all agree that I have changed for the better over the last 10 years.
Please keep all of the runners in your thoughts and prayers. Marathon training officially starts on June 26th. 4 1/2 months of training, eating better, and lack of sleep. The mission will always start with one goal in mind. Team Dykeman will finish the Marine Corps Marathon at the foot of Iwo Jima Memorial on October 28th.
Please support Team Dykeman goal to never forget Captain Philip Dykeman.
Always Faithful,
Cousin Andrew Bateman
Finally some musings regarding Phil:
The Marine Corps grunt or bark is best described as ooo-rah. It kind of loses it’s translation unless heard in person. What it is not is arrugah (some kind of sub diving sound) or Hoo-rah (a bastardization of the Army’s Hooa or Whooah which I am told means heard and understood, but I have no confirmation on any of that there army stuff).
Phil was Phil to me. If I had still been active duty, he would have been Captain Dykeman, Captain, Sir, and sometimes – Skipper (a reference to a captain also being in charge of a ship). What he never would have been – and was never called by those that served under him was Captain Phil. I’m not sure if Captain Phil is a term of endearment that his extended family uses, and if so, I’ve learned something. For those that wish to be more militarily correct – I’d go with Captain Dykeman or just plain Phil.
Regarding why I’m running this thing – quite frankly for Phil and no other reason. There are lots of organizations that serve the military, both active duty and veterans. Many take care of wounded warriors. I respect many of these organizations, and I have participated in many of their activities. This one – this run and everything I do for Team Dykeman – is for Phil and no others.
Phil was the best friend I ever had, and I do this insanity in his honor (honestly, running 26 miles is insane). For the USO, the wounded warriors, and the Red Cross, I’ll stick to saner venues like 5K and 10K events.
Kind regards,
Brent Crane
Gysgt, USMC Retired and a fan of whiskey sours.
From Stephen Bateman (Phil’s Cousin)
I had my biggest run ever this weekend. Chase Lake to Stoney Lake to Whishy’s in Croghan. 23 miles. To any non-runners (like me) I am a very strong proponent of the Galloway interval method. Before I started this crazy idea (Brent’s right) the furthest I had ever run was a 10k and that was probably 15-20 years ago. Following Gallaway’s method I run for 9 minutes and walk for 1. When I ran my 23 on Saturday it was a picture perfect day, had good tunes, knew I had eaten properly and everything was good. The first 11 miles were surprisingly enjoyable. The next 12 miles were OK, not quite as much fun, but not as bad as I expected. No wall! What got me through that 2nd half was the goal of running for 9 minutes. That’s all I had to run. I’ve trained enough that I can run for 9 minutes. Of course I had to run it over and over and over again. 243 minutes and it was all over. Yea!
From Rusty Sneeden:
WELL WELL WELL , It is about time I make a post . Just wanted to say hello to everybody and I hope that everyone’s training is going great ! Mine has been slow the last couple of weeks but I have had some buddy support from Jason Finch , Dewayne Malpass,Steve Killian and best of all my girlfriend Angel Mercer .
Jason came up to run a few miles with me this past weekend while he was visiting Myrtle Beach , he decided to come see how slow and awkward I run , but it was great to hear some of his advice and some of his training stories . I don’t know about you guys , but this is my first Marathon and I really do not know what I am in store for other than the stories I hear .Dewayne Malpass is also running his first as well and a matter of fact we are running together tomorrow , I am very proud of Dewayne for sticking with it through all of his traveling and work schedule , way to go Dewayne ! I also want to thank Steve Killian for giving me an extra push , although he is not doing this race I know he will be cheering on TEAMDYKEMAN thanks for running with me Steve .
Now a couple of things , one day last week , I rolled my ankle stepping out the front door , but I left to run on it anyway , I was fine , but I should have used it as a sign not to run that day . I was running my normal route around 5:00 am in the morning , I almost got attacked by a bat , a matter of fact I felt his wing brush across the top of my head , needless to say I ran a little faster jumping and swinging my arms like a crazy person on crack , my hair was standing up on the back of my head , but he went away , maybe bats don’t like crazy people either who knows , the next thing I know is I step on something squishy and turns out I killed a frog and my shoe felt funny the rest of the run but also a little further I stepped on a one foot centipede it seemed like and he went snap crackle pop in the tread of my shoes for about 500 yards . Finally a little while longer things seemed to get smoother and I was about my business running good listening to some good tunes and all of a sudden I look down at my shirt and it looked like I spilled kool aid on myself except I don’t drink Kool aid , it was my left nipple bleeding , holy cow it started hurting bad and I was too far away from the house to get back I had to finish running .Andrew had warned me about that but I was like man I surf my nipples are tough , well they aren’t that tough . Well then I am running through a nice neighborhood sun has come up where people can see me now , well , I have to go to the bathroom , and I am not talking number one , I am talking number two . I tried to hold it and the harder I tried to hold it the worst it got , I was doubling over with cramps barely able to walk , but I was fighting it , I knew of a place that had a patch of wood it was about a half mile away , well to make a long story shorter , I made it to the woods and using Oak Leaves to take care of business afterwards , all I have to say is make sure you bring toilet paper on your runs the rest of this month , I swear those damn breakfast bars , don’t’ eat those either because I get a cramp every time I eat those things .So just when things could not get any worse I had put in about 11 miles and I had two more miles to go to get home . I started feeling the chafe , and all you guys out there know about the chafe . I have it now from running this morning and I can’t hardly walk , I look like I have a corn cob up my butt because I don’t want my pants or boxers to touch me at all so I am walking funny as hell but I am hurting . let me tell you !!
Can anybody relate to what I am telling you , I am miserable right now but hopefully I will build up some resistance before our big race !!
TeamDykeman Blog 
Runner Alert,
To show our true Athletic ability, some of us are also running in the Krispy Kreme Challenege. http://www.krispykremechallenge.com. Feb. 7th 2009!
We will run 2 miles, eat a dozen donuts, and run 2 miles back to the start/finish line.
I have been training everyday of my life for this. I hope they have coffee to go with my donuts during the run.
Brent and Samantha and family you are welcome to stay at our house!
Always Faithful
Andrew
Well well well , I still wake up every morning questioning myself , Can I , or should I even attempt to try this , so I stand up look in the mirror and I say WHAT WOULD ANDREW DO ? WHAT WOULD PHIL HAVE DONE ?
Well that sums it up , so I say yes I can do it and yes I will do it !! I am proud to be a part of such a great cause and I am happy that I can support such a great family ! Even if I have to crawl to the finish line I will cross that finish line , now I may be considerably slower and I may need Andrew to come back and carry me but I know he can do it .
I started training for this thing on December 8th when I got my first pair of running shoes ever , I must have been in the worst shape that anybody could be in and never jogged as a hobby before so this whole experience has been something . I honestly think that doing this is some of the most gratifying soul searching you can do . I definitely want to say thank you to Andrew , Julie , Angel,and Dewayne for their cnfidence building and support ! If it was not for these guys I would have good knees now ! Just kidding . Anyways I am looking forward to running with all of you and being a part of team dykeman.
Cross your fingers and find me a donor for new knees please !!
Thanks,
Rusty
Well, I survived the Krispy Kreme Challenge. I ran 2 miles, choked down 12 Donuts, and ran back 2 miles. All in under 1 hour. I did it is 59 min.
I will never eat another donut again!!!
Always Faithful
Andrew
p.s. Superman and Wonder Woman run for Team Dykeman
I ran the Krispy Kreme Challenge with Julie Bateman and Mark McNally. Mark has another job as a Ghostbuster. We did great and raised money for the North Carolina Childrens Hospitol!
Rusty,
U da man…. thank you for your help and support with Team Dykeman. Phil had an impact on everyone he came in contact with. Best of luck with your run on Saturday.
Peter Bataman
Well its here and Im only running the 5K,still very nervous. Im kinda like Rusty. I have never done anything like this. The only time ever did anything in 3 miles was when someone left me and I had to. I never had the pleasure of meeting Captain Phil, but I know he was a wonderful person. Cant wait for this weekend and Rusty ahng in there Ive got your back you can do it.
Andrew and Paul…very proud of both of you…know you will have a wonderful finish…now you just have to get Jon on board for the next race…so that Phil’s 3 male cousins who are the same age as he was will be running in his honor…
much love
Laurie
I just wanted to say how proud I am of everyone who ran yesterday for Team Dykeman. It was very inspiring to be there in person and to see all of the love and support for Phil and his family. Andrew and Paul – you guys crack me up. You run like you are walking on air! Kim, you were like a bullet. I never even saw you pass. DeWayne, I loved the head band! YOU DID IT!! I am especially proud of Rusty. I must say that I was very worried about him with the problems he was having with his knees but he crossed that finish line like a CHAMP and it definately brought a tear to my eye. And Julie, thank you SO MUCH for running with him and being by his side. I am so glad you were there for each other. You guys are awesome!!!
Phew! What a weekend! We drove over 200 miles in 4hrs so we could stuff ourselves full of pasta, wake up the following morning at 5am and RUN 13 miles in under 3hrs…are we crazy people or what?!
I will say that this was a phenomenal race – perfect racing weather, not too hot – not too cold, no glaring sun to blind you, no strong winds to fight against and a F-L-A-T course! Woo hoo, was that course flat…I think I’ve found my new favorite place to run!
The majority of my training has been past 8pm, so with the start of the race at 6:30, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could actually get myself out of bed and MOVE that early! :o)
Rusty, you are incredible, man. We made a great team…AWESOME job…thanks for pulling me through, my friend!
Andrew and Paul – I aspire to bounce through 13 miles like the two of you did…pretty amazing…AWESOME job! Just to give you all an idea of how great Paul felt after the run…he made a B-Line for the beer tent…drank a beer, saw a coffee tent and got excited…went to get coffee, but there was too long of a line, so he went back for a 2nd beer…lol…I was having a hard time drinking Powerade, none the less a BEER after 13 miles! You rock, dude :o)
Andrew – you kicked some butt, kiddo…way to keep Paul at bay :o) You’ve got that next 1/2 under 2hrs with no problem…you just keep pushing your goals up and I’ll push mine to where yours were on the last race…as long as you promise you’ll wait for me at the end :o) I love you! Nice jacket, by the way…don’t you have a red one somewhere? ;o)
Dewayne and Kim…ya’ll are the best for coming out and kickin’ some 5k butt on Friday night and coming out in full support on Saturday…keep up the running and join us for the next one, too!
To all the ‘Atheletic Supporters’ – Jane, Wonderful, Dad, Jackie, Angel, John, Mike, Dewayne, Kim, Morgan, Alyssa, Sutton, Ireland, Amelia, Ben…you guys are what pushed my brain to ignore the cries of pain from my calves and actually finish this race. I have to tell you – to come out there and run is one thing, but having been on the other side of this insanity myself in the not so distant past, I can tell you that the job of the ‘Atheletic Supporter’ is no walk in the park, my friends. You guys pull a lot of effort getting from one spot to the next, timing our splits to anticipate where we’ll be, driving 15 miles to see us at the next 2 mile marker, catching Rusty’s sweaty clothes as he throws them at you (hee hee – Jane, you get a special award for that one :O), taking pictures, cheering loudly so we can hear you…not to mention driving just to get to the location of these races (John and Mike came from Binghamton, NY…Paul and Jackie from DC!!)…and most importantly…just being there for us. You guys truly are the best – it would have been 10 times harder without your support!
Peter…you have been such an instrumental part of all of this. Thank you for all that you do for the Team, for Cousin Phil and his family and especially for Andrew – you are a great brother and a true friend. I’m counting on you to be with us for the next race, so get those running shoes ready!
GO TEAM DYKEMAN!!
Next Venue:
Raleigh Rocks 1/2 Marathon 3/28/09
Raleigh, NC…lots of hills, so get that training started and come join us!
Good Evening Everyone,
I hope everyone had a good weekend! North Carolina is in the middle of a heat wave. Temps over 100 degrees. Julie and I ran 10 miles at 6:30 am Saturday. We survived it with out any problems. It was a very flat run.
Thanks to the Redwine’s, I met them last year, and they taught me how to “Train Hardcore” they are always in my thoughts.
Great News, We were tracked down by another Marine that used to serve with Captain Phil. They served in Sato Spain, and also at Camp Lejune NC. He found our website http://www.teamdykeman.com He has some good stories of Phil, we exchanged a few emails, and Rick Roebuck is going to run the Marine Corp Marathon with us in October. Rick was going to do the Longhorn Ironman Triathalon the same day as the MCM, but he changed his plans, and is bringing his family to Washington DC to run with Team Dykeman. He has his flights and reservations at the Eisenhower Holiday Inn in Alexandria VA. He lives in Tampa Florida.
Heard from Rusty Sneeden that he ran 10.5 miles.
Julie yelled to Catherine Kline as she ran past us. She was way ahead of us.
Our teammate Dewayne is getting back from a mission trip to Guatemala. Can’t wait to hear how that went.
I have faith that Dewayne can do this marathon.
Jenn Brooks is back running again, she has been sidelined with a severe sprained ankle. Tennis anyone!?!
Please keep in touch about your training, remember “its the Journey, not the Destination!”
Attached please find the announcement for the 1st Annual Captain Philip Dykeman Memorial Golf Tournament Sunday September 6, 2009. It is being held at the Greenview Country Club in Central NY. Please spread the word, we need golfers and sponsors.
As always feel free to call me anytime (919)795-3971
Always Faithful
Andrew Bateman
15 miles last Monday
18 miles this Sunday
CHeck out the pictures of the 1st Annual Golf Tourney.
http://picasaweb.google.com/phandly/PhilipDykemanMemorialTournament2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCMqJl6CL_sKUkQE&feat=directlink
Our next Event is the Myrtle Beach 1/2 Marathon on February 14, 2009. Happy Valentines Day; its the only way to celebrate!
Running in the marathon are:
Andrew and Julie Bateman
Paul Handly
Rusty Sneeden
Dewayne and Kim Malpass
Kathie and Tripp Martin
Please keep checking in to follow our progress and results. Please post comments. All except Kathie and Tripp are new to this sport the rest are more cheeseburgers and beer folk.
Please come and Cheer us onin Myrtle Beach. We are going to have both Jane Bateman and Anne Handly there; if anyone of us cannot finish the race, Jane and Ann are ready to jump in and finish for us — true Athletic Supporters.
Please keep in mind that we are running for a cause. So donate to the Philip J. Dykeman Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Support Team Dykeman
Always Faithful
Andrew Bateman
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A note from Rusty!
ALL ,
Some of you may know this and some of you may not , but I am running a Half Marathon on Saturday February 14th ,2009 which is this Saturday . The reason I am writing this email is to ask for some support . I am running for three kids who have lost their father in Iraq by a suicide bomber .Captain Phil Dykeman was a friend of mine and a cousin of one of my very best friends . I have played golf with Captain Phil and really enjoyed the time that we shared when he was alive .When he got killed he left behind a Wife and Three children . I AM RUNNING FOR THEM !
My friend Andrew Bateman started this scholarship fund through Phil’s High school and in June we plan on reaching our goal of $15,000.00 and giving out the first scholarship at the school .
I invite you guys to check out the blog at teamdykeman.com
Here is a link that has the scholarship information . https://teamdykeman.com/about/
When Phil’s Children get to be College age they will get the remaining money that is left in the fund and their college will be paid for . I feel like this is the least I can do to help a family in need . Children need their father and unfortunately things happen so I am asking for your help as well !
I will tell you a little story about this training . I started December 8th to run this thing in 2 1/2 months . Well I don’t think it was quite enough training because I have gotten what they call ITBS Band Syndrome which causes a lot of pain after about 2 Miles . The difference between 2 miles and 13 miles is a lot .I am still determined to run my first race even if I have to suffer some . I have never ever jogged before as a hobby so I am really scared to death but, I am going to give it my best shot I ask that you guys think about me and if you know anybody that has an extra set of crutches please send them my way because I will need them . If I am walking funny next week now you know why!
Anyways I hope you check out teamdykeman.com and read some of the stories and check out some of the posts. This is not the last race that we will run because we are running the marine marathon in DC in October .
If you feel like contributing please follow the link for the scholarship fund, every little bit helps and I personally thank you very much!!
I am really tired after playing 18 holes of golf using a cart , I can’t imagine how I will feel Monday!!
Rusty Sneeden
Okay Boys and Girls, LISTEN UP!. IT’S TIME to start training for the biggest Team Dykeman Challenge ever! The 37th Running of the Marine Corps Marathon! October 28 is only 184 days away. Take this Challenge ONLY IF YOU ARE MAN OR WOMAN ENOUGH TO DO SO: I HEREBY CHALLENGE each and every member of Team Dykeman to run the 2012 Marine Corps Marathon in 4 hours or less AND to raise at least $2,500 for the Phil Dykeman Scholarship Fund. Hoo Wah!
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