Six active duty U.S.
Navy athletes today drew upon the strength, determination and commitment
they have learned serving our nation to compete with the world's most elite
athletes in the 30th annual Ford Ironman World Championship Triathlon in
Kona, Hawaii.
"Today six Navy athletes took serving their country one step further by
pushing themselves to their physical limits in a world class test of human
endurance," said Captain Duncan Smith of Naval Special Warfare Command.
"Navy is proud to celebrate our 30th year of participation in Ironman.
Athletes of this caliber and the Ironman organization at large share many
of the core values we hold dear in the Navy: pursuit of excellence,
personal fitness and unwavering commitment."
Today's race will air at 2:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 13 on NBC.
Two Navy SEALs and four members of the U.S. Navy athletic team were
among an elite group of only 1,800 athletes who participated in the most
prestigious world championship race the sport has to offer: 2.4 miles of
swimming, 112 miles of biking and a 26.2 mile marathon run through ocean
waves and challenging lava-covered terrain. This year's Navy triathletes
represent a diverse mix of Navy careers:
- Commander Kristan Barnes is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and a
Naval flight officer currently serving as Officer in Charge, Afloat
Planning System, Pacific Operational Support Division, Pearl Harbor. A
native of Vermillion, Ohio, she is an avid triathlete, completing six full
marathons and Ironman Arizona this year.
- Commander Keith Davids, a native of Miami, is a decorated U.S. Navy
SEAL and commanding officer of SEAL Team ONE. He completed his first
marathon at the age of 11 and is joined in Kona by his wife, Commander
Yvette Davids, commanding officer of the USS Curts.
- Lieutenant Commander Damon Dixon, a Naval Academy graduate and Navy
oceanography officer, is executive officer of the Naval Oceanography
Special Warfare Center. A native of the San Francisco Bay area, Dixon began
competing in triathlons in 2004. To prepare for Ironman he spent between 16
and 22 hours training each week.
- Lieutenant Commander John Marinovitch grew up in Davis, Calif., and
graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. He is a surface warfare officer on
USS Independence. Ranked a three-time all-American in swimming, he has
competed in triathlons for the past 18 months.
- Lieutenant Jeff Tomazewski grew up in Pittsburgh and is an aviation
maintenance duty officer at the Naval Post-Graduate School in Monterey,
Calif. He is a seasoned triathlete; today's race was his sixth Ironman
triathlon and his third Ironman World Championship.
- Petty Officer 1st Class David Goggins grew up in Indianapolis, Ind.,
and is assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado, Calif. As
a Navy SEAL, he has served in Afghanistan and Iraq. As an Ultra Athlete,
Goggins has completed 14, 100-plus-mile races, finishing in the top five in
most of them. Goggins finished second at the Ultraman World Championships
on his first attempt. This is his first Ironman Triathlon.
SOURCE U.S. Navy
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