FORT HOOD, Texas -- With the Army’s emphasis on physical fitness, leaders are always looking for different ways to make physical training fun for their soldiers. One way to do this is to appeal to everyone’s competitive spirit and love for the great outdoors.

Led by their battalion commander, Soldiers and family members of the 180th Transportation Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, gathered at Dana Peak Park for a lakeside triathlon, Jan. 27. The triathlon, hosted by the 263rd Maintenance Company, featured a five-mile bike ride, two-mile run and a one-mile walk.

The distance of events wasn’t chosen at random, the numbers 5-2-1 have significance in the motorpool.

“We tell soldiers to stay five feet behind the vehicle in front of you, make sure you can see two wheels of that vehicle touching the ground and don’t move until one second after the vehicle in front of you moves,” said 1st Lt. Shantel Davis, a platoon leader with the 263rd Maintenance Company. “As a transportation unit, we like to incorporate motor pool safety and vehicle safety in everything.”

Participants had the option of joining as individuals and do all three events or as teams of three with each team member doing one event. Most entered as teams, but the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Stephen Riley, participated in every event.

“It’s important, in everything I do, to lead by example,” he said. “I would encourage everyone to do all three events. I want to develop more of a physical fitness mindset for our battalion, not just for soldiers but also for family members.”

Riley set the standard by taking first place as an individual competitor. He finished all three events with a time of 43:46.
The top finishers of the events received medals for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, and the individual winners of each event won $100 gift cards to Walmart. Everyone who participated received a T-shirt.

“We have a great turn-out today,” Davis said. “It’s definitely more people than I expected. We’re planning another triathlon in a few months, and we’re hoping to open it up to the whole post.”
Almost 150 people competed in the triathlon, while many soldiers and family members cheered them on.

“We just wanted everyone to have a good time, to emphasize the physical fitness standard and a little friendly competition,” Davis said.

Connected Media