APPLETON, Wis. — Firefighter Cory Asimus regularly gears up to go out on calls.
He estimated his air pack weighs between 20-30 pounds. But he hardly feels it on his back these days.
Lately, he’s taken to wearing a 100-pound rucksack.
Then he goes for a run.
“Yeah, neighbors have been asking tons of questions like, what kind of training goes into being a firefighter?” said Asimus.
In May, he completed a half marathon while wearing the ruck.
“Tomorrow I’m doing a 19 miler, and maybe 72 to 96 hours later, I’ll do a five to 10 miler,” said Asimus.
He spent five years in the Marine Corps and completed an IronMan triathlon. In the Cellcom Green Bay half marathon, while carrying 100 extra pounds on his back, he set a world record with a 2:10:30 finish.
Now he’s gunning for the full marathon record with a 100 pound rucksack of five hours and three minutes.
“The whole military community rucks, but it’s the pace and weight that is definitely new. We’re creating it as we speak,” said Asimus.
Battalion Chief Joe Kozikowski guides Asimus in his training and said there isn’t much of a blueprint for this endeavor.
“The entire foundation of our training is anticipating any muscles, any injuries that could sneak up on us and strengthening those weak lengths before they ever became a problem,” said Kozikowski.
The run is about more than a record. Last year, Appleton police officer and military veteran Dominic Hall died of pancreatic cancer, likely caused by exposure to toxic chemicals.
Soon after, the dangers of military veterans who work as first responders hit even closer to home.
“One of our own firefighters, Keegan Murphy, got diagnosed with stage four lung cancer,” said Asimus.
In attempting the marathon, Asimus wants to raise awareness and funds to purchase cancer detection kits for all first responders and military veterans in Outagamie County.
Appleton fire chief Jeremy Hansen cited a study that states firefighters face a 14% increase in cancer-related deaths.
The number goes up for military veterans who were exposed to burn pits and other chemicals.
“This is a family. The fire department and members of this fire department look to help others. That’s what Cory is doing,” said Hansen. “He’s trying to bring awareness, and he’s trying to provide funding so that all the police and firefighters in Outagamie County are able to be screened for cancer.”
Donations toward the cancer screening kits, which Asimus said cost $950, can be made through Project Vaspire, which was set up by Hall’s wife.
“All too often, people set their limits far too low. Cory wants nothing to do with that. He’s setting that high bar,” said Kozikowski.
Asimus said he enjoys taking on tough challenges.
“It’s just a lot of willpower, I guess, and now it’s much bigger than me,” said Asimus.
It’s for veterans and first responders who braved danger by giving them the tools to detect cancer early and hopefully save lives in a different way.