Sytnyk inspired by past

A three-year-old boy clung to his mother, as they awaited death. They were held against their will, forced to strip down naked, in an old warehouse in Ukraine during World War II.

Alex Sytnyk doesn’t remember all that took place when he was 3, but he does recall the words from his mother. It was the last time he heard her voice.

“I want you to run away from here; God will protect you and guide you,” she told him.

Those words continue to resonate in his mind as he runs.

Sytnyk, a Corona del Mar resident, now competes as a marathon runner. The 70-year-old will be in today’s Surf City USA Marathon in Huntington Beach. He is an accomplished runner, winning several marathons in his age division.

He runs with a purpose.

When he was 3, he ran to escape. He did not even know his name, nor his mother’s name. All he knew was to run. He was later rescued by a woman, who is known as an angel to Sytnyk. He began his life as an orphan.

He went to Poland, then fled with others when the war at its height. It was off to Austria, where he was taken in. His German foster parents at the time knew Sytnyk would be better off in America. There was fear that the Russian army wanted to recapture all the young men that had escaped and bring them back to join the soviet army.

When he was 10, he escaped again. As a stowaway he traveled to Alaska, then to Canada where he became adopted and was given his last name.

Sytnyk has written a book, “A Mother’s Faith, A Boy’s Trust,” which talks about his experiences. The book has not been published, but he has copies of it that he uses to inspire others.

When he hears someone complaining about their troubles, he’ll sometimes give them the book.

“I tell them just make the most of your life and just go for it,” says Sytnyk, a Canadian schoolteacher who then became a manager in retail sales and eventually a self-employed businessman in America. “I use the book to motivate others.

“It shows that you can come out of hell and destruction, and with faith and hard work you can make something of yourself. America is a land of opportunity. But you have to work hard and persevere. When things go tough, you just have to work harder.”

Sytnyk’s experiences as a child molded him into a man at a young age. Overcoming such great odds also helps him mentally as he runs. But he developed a passion for marathon running after fully recovering from a devastating accident 35 years ago.

Sytnyk was driving when a large station wagon ran a red light and broadsided his car.

“My car turned into a pretzel and I was certain that I wasn’t going to survive,” he said.

When he was taken to the hospital it was determined that he had suffered internal bleeding, and a ruptured spleen. His leg and ribs were crushed.

He says he was fortunate to be able to come out of it.

“The Lord gave me a second chance in life,” he says. “That is when I decided to make the most of what he blessed me with.”

His wife noticed a different man after that accident.

“Being in that car accident gave him the incentive to run,” said his wife, Patricia. “He was in the hospital for over a month.”

After surviving the accident, Sytnyk knew he would be happy if he would be able to walk again.

So he started to walk, then eventually run. Then he thought if he could ever run a marathon that would be the ultimate.

At the age of 60, Sytnyk ran his first marathon. He ran the San Diego Marathon Jan. 16, 2000 in Carlsbad. He finished in 3 hours, 52 minutes, 10 seconds, third in his age group. On his wall there’s a picture of Sytnyk crossing the finishing line.

More marathons followed. He has competed four times in Manitoba, Canada and placed second in 2001 and won it in 2002 for his age group. Truth be told, he doesn’t know his own age or his true birthday. He uses the one his original foster parents gave him.

He enjoys running in Manitoba, because that is where he grew up and whenever he visits he’ll usually run in the marathon.

In 2001, in Napa Valley, he won his age-group title in the Enviro Sports Marathon in 3 hours, 24 minutes.

Sytnyk enjoyed running in Dublin, Ireland in 2005.

“If you wear your medal and you went into an Irish bar you got free drinks,” he said.

Last month, he finished third for his age division in the Pacific Shoreline Marathon in Huntington Beach. In 2004, he won his age group in the same marathon.

In 2004, he ran in the Boston Marathon on April 19.

“The temperature got to about 86 degrees and it was just miserable,” he said. “About 1,100 people required medical attention and I was able to finish it.”

People watch Sytnyk and become inspired. Greg Hunt, a friend of Sytnyk’s, is one of those people.

“Alex told me to go for it and I did and ever since I’ve been running in marathons,” Hunt said.

Hunt also said seeing Sytnyk run is motivational. It’s a great example of being able to run at his age and enjoy it, Hunt said.

Sytnyk enjoys running simply because he can, but he also has a strong passion for it because it represents his faith in action.

“God has blessed me with the strength and the endurance to run,” Sytnyk says. “Each time I do this I think back to the first time I was told by my mother to run.

“Here I am at the age of 70 and I can still run, and reflect on the blessing God has bestowed on me.”

— Steve Virgen contributed to this story