This Blind Veteran Overcame All Odds to Complete Ironman

Retired Army Maj. Scott Smiley defied all odds last Sunday when he became the first blind veteran to successfully complete an Ironman.

The race in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, took place during record-breaking temperatures, causing 188 competitors to drop out of the contest.

It takes much more than a hot day to deter Smiley.

"Let's do this, Major!" Heard from the crowd as Army Major (Retired) Scotty Smiley took off on the bike. #HopeUnseen pic.twitter.com/vXhGB4Y4ZG

— GleasonIronman (@GleasonIronman) June 28, 2015

With the help of his brother-in-law Andy Cooper as his partner and guide, Smiley completed the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run, accomplishing one of his life’s loftiest goals to date.

How did the 35-year-old veteran find the strength to finish the race after 16 hours of effort?  He looked to his family for strength. His wife Tiffany even rode her bike alongside Smiley and Cooper for half of the marathon.

“It was amazing to hear them as I transitioned from the bike to the run—throughout the run just screaming my name,” Smiley told People. “And then to be there to give my wife and my boys a hug, it was a great feeling.”

Blind and Inspired by the touch of his wife and children, Scotty Smiley Finishes #IMCDA @maybellandgrace @HopeUnseen pic.twitter.com/J5D5Z68wSE

— Breeze Kenny (@trainerbreeze) July 1, 2015

Tiffany has always been Smiley’s biggest supporter, but there was a time when even she did not think this day would be within reach.

In April of 2005, Smiley was badly wounded by a suicide car bomb while leading a platoon in northern Iraq. The attack left him blind and partially paralyzed by shrapnel on the right side of his body.

The injury devastated the Spokane, Wash., family, plunging Smiley into a deep depression. “How was I going to take care of my wife, the woman that I love, if I could not even take care of myself?” Smiley asked himself in an interview with KENS5 Eyewitness News.

Even Tiffany was beginning to lose faith and give up on the couple’s dreams, especially any hope of starting a family.

Incredible. #HopeUnseen #IMCDA pic.twitter.com/MSNg2Ewfhz

— GleasonIronman (@GleasonIronman) June 29, 2015

One day, she had a change of heart.

“I could let my mind go that way and say we are ruined and we are not going to be able to do anything,” Tiffany told KENS5 Eyewitness News. “Or I could go the other way and just be his biggest cheerleader. And I just sort of took that on, even if I didn’t believe it myself.”

Smiley found a renewed determination through his faith and his family. “It was just through prayer, my family’s support and God’s love and grace that I started moving my right hand and moving my right foot,” he told People.

Since overcoming his physical limitations, Smiley has become the United States Army’s first blind active-duty officer, earned an MBA from Duke University, taught leadership at West Point and has become a loving father to three little boys.

He is also a world-class athlete and adventurer. Smiley has climbed Mount Rainier, learned to surf, gone skydiving and won an ESPY award from ESPN as Best Outdoor Athlete. Becoming an ironman is merely another physical feat in his long list of amazing undertakings.

16 hours 51 minutes of courage. 2 of the toughest guys on the planet. #HopeUnseen #IMCDA pic.twitter.com/r3jrmaHsQ1

— GleasonIronman (@GleasonIronman) June 29, 2015

Throughout his fun and action-packed life, Smiley never forgets why he perseveres.

“At my lowest point, my wife said, ‘You know, Scotty, you’re not doing this for yourself, you’re doing this for those who can’t be here,’” Smiley told People. “And it really just inspired me to look past my own pain and misery and realize, ‘You’re doing this for a higher calling, you’re doing this for something more than just yourself.’”