Major (Retired) Ivan Castro’s never-quit attitude allowed him to serve 28 years in the U.S. Army as an Army Ranger and an elite member of the Army’s Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets. Ivan enlisted as a young private and advanced in leadership to become an officer, obtaining the rank of major before he retired. His career included deployments around the world to places such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo, South and Central America, to name a few. 

Although this would be an accomplished career for most, what is remarkable is not Ivan’s twice-awarded Purple Heart, numerous military awards, and credentials, but his so-called recreational activities. In the past fourteen years, Ivan has run over 60 marathons, skied over 200 miles in extreme weather conditions to reach the South Pole with Prince Harry, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, cycled across the United States, trekked over 500 miles of the El Camino de Santiago, run with the bulls in Spain, completed the desert race Marathon des Sables, and hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. He even found time to write a book with New York Times bestselling author Jim DeFelice title “Fighting Blind”.