Through running track in Special Olympics and then preparing for his first marathon, Dylan Batz discovered the journey of the distance runner is really a process of turning discomfort into joy.
“It makes me feel good,” said Batz, who will run the Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver Marathon on Sunday. “On the other side of pain is accomplishment.”
It is a revelation he wants to share.
Batz, 22, recently quit his job at McDonald’s to takeone leading exercise classes at HighPointe Center, an agency that works to enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities. He also has a job at 24 Hour Fitness. Batz has a passion for fitness and hopes to become a certified athletic trainer.
“Just to make people have happier lives,” said Batz, who lives with his parents in Centennial and was graduated from Arapahoe High School, where he was named physical education student of the year as a senior. “Live happier and enjoy life.”
Batz prepared for the marathon under the guidance of Bill Rodgers, a well-known figure in the Denver running circles.
“He’s like Dylan’s personal trainer, his running buddy,” said Dylan’s father, Tim. “He certainly didn’t have to do it. It’s awesome.”
Dylan was born with “developmental delays,” and as he got older it became more apparent he was falling behind children his age. He had been having seizures, and he had a big one in eighth grade that put him in the hospital for two months.
“He was dark,” said Tim. “I mean, nobody was home, kind of a vegetative state.”
Batz had surgery to put in a shunt and relieve pressure on his brain. He had to learn how to walk and talk again, and would finish eighth grade in a wheelchair, but when he got to Arapahoe High School he thrived.
“It was just a great environment,” Tim said. “It was such a great, inclusive school. He felt accepted and he started in Special Olympics basketball.”
He would play a lot of Special Olympics sports but really liked track, especially the 1,500 and 5,000 meters. Now he works out six days a week.
“He’s very disciplined about working out,” Tim said. “This six-day a week thing, sometimes two a day, some of it’s running, some of it’s weightlifting, some of it’s all these other things they do in the boot camps at the fitness center. He’s got this undeniable, unstoppable desire to achieve with fitness. We support it, but it wasn’t our idea. It just came about.”
Rodgers got to know Dylan when Dylan did an internship at Children’s Hospital, where Rodgers is a technician. One day the elevators broke down and a patient needed a delivery on an upper floor. Dylan ran up it upstairs to the ninth floor.
“You knew right away that Dylan would get it done, whatever task you would give him,” Rodgers said. “We had other interns, but Dylan stood out with his hard work ethic and his positive attitude.”
Dylan did the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon last year in one hour, 46 minutes, 25 seconds. In May he did the Colfax Half in 1:39:52. In August he did the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half in 1:34:19, finishing 93rd among more than 1,100 men in the race. Rodgers believes he can finish Sunday in 3 hours, 30 minutes, which would be an excellent time for a first-time marathoner.
Dylan recently told his father he expects to run a three-hour marathon some day.
“My skepticism must have shown,” Tim said, “because I said, ‘Dylan that’s a really fast time. If you want to run a marathon, that’s a great idea, but just finishing is a really big accomplishment.’ He looks at me, got a little snarky and said, ‘Don’t doubt me.’ “
Rodgers wants to make sure he understands the first goal when running a marathon is to finish.
“Whatever the clock says, that’s OK in a marathon,” Rodgers said. “Respect the distance. It’s something that not many people get to do. It’s a very small percentage of the world.”
Rodgers, 57, has run 20 marathons but said Dylan “re-energized” his running.
“This guy’s got a big heart,” Rodgers said, glancing at Dylan. “Holy cow, when they gave hearts out, they gave you a big one.”
John Meyer: jmeyer@denverpost.com or @johnmeyer
