He heard about the 12th-annual Vilnius Marathon just three weeks before it was held, and had a rough landing during an airborne training exercise the day before – and still Ty Boyle excelled.
The U.S. Army 1st lieutenant from International Falls placed 173rd out of 809 runners in the Sept. 13 event in Vilnius, Lithuania. He finished the 26.2-mile course in 3 hours, 28 minutes, 53 seconds.
Boyle, 27, a 2006 Falls High School graduate, is a platoon leader with Dog Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Vicenza, Italy.
It was his second marathon. He also has competed in half-marathons and Ironman triathlons.
“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to finish the marathon, let alone keep a respectable time,” Boyle said, “so in the end I was happy with being able to push through the pain I was feeling and finish the race.
“All I can really say about being placed 173rd is that it is extremely fitting and appropriate, as I’m a member of the 173rd Airborne,” he said.
Boyle, son of Joe and Susan Boyle of the Falls, starred in football at Falls High School and the University of North Dakota, and competed in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camp in 2011.
He returned to the Falls to help coach the Broncos in 2011, and joined the Army in 2013.
“Ty has always loved to compete,” Joe Boyle said. “And now that’s he’s in the military, he sort of has a different purpose and a different goal in his training. But he has always been someone focused on being in the best of shape for whatever activity he’s pursuing. Now, in the military, he’s totally focused on being fit so he can be an excellent officer, working with his platoon.
“He knew when he was making the decision to join that he had certain plans, and he is attaining all those plans,” Boyle said, “and we’re very proud of the fact that he is representing our country.”
Dog Company was deployed to Lithuania in June as part of Atlantic Resolve, a “demonstration of continued U.S. commitment to the collective security of NATO and to enduring peace and stability in the region,” according to www.army.mil.
Ty Boyle said the company will complete its mission and return to Vicenza in early November.
“The exciting part of being a paratrooper and an infantryman is that there is always another adventure on the horizon,” he said. “It is part of my job as an infantry officer to make sure that myself and my soldiers are always staying physically fit and pushing our bodies. I’m not sure what is next, but I’m sure it will be challenging and fun.”
