KONA, Hawaii (AFNS) –
A pair of Airmen pushed the envelope of mental and physical toughness to claim the 2010 Ironman World Championships Kona Military Division on a 140.6-mile grueling course.
Maj. Scott Poteet and Capt. Jamie Turner combined for a 20:27:36 time to claim this year's top honors for the Armed Forces. Major Poteet, assigned to the U.S. Air Force Academy, finished the course in a few ticks over nine and a half hours at 9:39:05, placing second to the U.S. Army's Robert Killian at 9:30:50.
The Airmen are part of a special group at the Mecca of triathlons. This year there were a total of nine individuals hand-picked from each of the services, including the Coast Guard, who take physical fitness and mental toughness to new lengths: all 140.6 miles to be exact.
They started their day with a 2.4-mile swim in the choppy salt waters of Kona Bay. They climbed from its waves to begin a 112-mile bike ride through the heat-emitting lava fields along the Kona and Kohala coastlines. The marathon of 26.2 miles ran along the same path as the bike ride, the Queen Ka'ahumanu highway.
These nine military competitors, five males and four females, were selected from their ranks to represent the U.S. Armed Forces in the Ironman competition, a race dubbed "ke alahele o ke koa," a Hawaiian saying meaning "The Way of the Warrior."
These individuals are part of a fraternity who call themselves "Ironmen," a fraternity that started with a debate more than 30 years ago among military men and women trying to determine who was the top endurance athlete.
During an awards banquet in 1977, this group of military athletes stationed in Hawaii announced an idea that would change the course for endurance athletics. Gordon Haller, a retired Navy lieutenant commander, was the inaugural Ironman champion in 1978. He was the first of only 12 finishers of the race.
2010 Ironman World Championships Military Division finishing times:
U.S. Air Force
Maj. Scott Poteet, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
2.4-mile swim: 1:06:12; 112-mile bike: 5:09:42; 26.2-mile run: 3:18:19; Overall: 9:39:05
Capt. Jamie Turner, Joint Base Charleston, S.C.
2.4-mile swim: 1:15:43; 112-mile bike: 5:46:23; 26.2-mile run: 3:41:26; Overall: 10:48:31
U.S. Army
Capt. Robert Killian, U.S. Army Forces Command, Colo.
2.4-mile swim: 1:14:34 ; 112-mile bike: 4:59:51; 26.2-mile run: 3:09:58; Overall: 9:30:50
Capt. Erica Chabalko, Baylor University, Waco, Texas
2.4-mile swim: 1:07:28; 112-mile bike: 6:05:26; 26.2-mile run: 4:26:35; Overall: 11:50:49
U.S. Navy
Capt. Scott Jones, Port Hueneme, Calif.
2.4-mile swim: 1:01:06; 112-mile bike: 5:12:52; 26.2-mile run: 3:25:48; Overall: 9:46:00
Cmdr. Kristin Barnes, Virginia Beach, Va.
2.4-mile swim: 1:21:54; 112-mile bike: 6:03:47; 26.2-mile run: 4:11:57; Overall: 11:44:45
U.S. Coast Guard
Cmnd. Master Chief Michael Ferreira, 14th District, Honolulu, Hawaii
2.4-mile swim: 1:07:20; 112-mile bike: 5:18:13; 26.2-mile run: 3:38:52; Overall: 10:10:33
Lt. Rachel Beckmann, University of Oregon, Eugene, Ore.
2.4-mile swim: 1:15:57; 112-mile bike: 5:49:20; 26.2-mile run: 4:17:56; Overall: 11:31:37
U.S. Marine Corps
Lt. Col. Hunter Hobson, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
2.4-mile swim: 1:08:33; 112-mile bike: 5:25:04; 26.2-mile run: 3:58:36; Overall: 10:40:54