Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jackson Adkins | VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.. — Lt. Anna Bryant, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal...... read more read more
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Silence comes first.
No crowd. No clock.
Just the sound of her own breathing as she approaches a threat that can kill her.
Days later, the silence is replaced by the roar of churning water, whirring bicycle chains, and pounding feet as hundreds of athletes surge forward at the start of a triathlon.
For Lt. Anna Bryant, the mindset required for both worlds is the same.
Bryant, from Franklin, North Carolina, is an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officer assigned to EOD Mobile Unit TWO and recently placed third at the Department of War- sponsored Triathlon in San Diego. Selected as the only EOD technician among 80 competitors, she represented not just herself, but a community defined by physical endurance, discipline, adaptability, and mental resilience.
“Doing the triathlon for the Navy was a big deal because I was able to represent EOD,” Bryant said. “It kind of puts all the things I care about into one.”'
Balancing elite-level training with the demands of EOD leadership is rarely easy. As a platoon commander, Bryant just completed a work-up cycle and deployment, while also balancing her competition preparation overseas. Training meant early mornings, late evenings, and careful planning around ever-changing schedules.
“It’s pretty complicated,” she said. “It’s trying to get workouts in before work. Then you work all day... Then after work I still have to get another workout in. It requires a lot of planning ahead of time and figuring out where I can fit it in based on my daily schedule.”
Bryant has served in the EOD community for five years and joined to be part of the tight- knit, premier EOD force. A graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, she competed in track and field as well as cross-country before commissioning, developing a competitive drive long before starting her Navy career. That foundation carried into deployment.
While serving in Bahrain, Bryant trained daily using whatever resources were available. Some weeks, travel and operational requirements meant there was limited access to running trails or bikes. Instead of skipping training, she adapted. During that deployment, she competed in a Half Ironman where she set a personal record and finished 4th overall out of 137 women.
“We’d travel for [force protection] dives or whatever popped up, and I’d realize, ‘I won’t be able to bike this week, what can I do instead?’ Logistically figuring out workouts and seeing what you have to work with definitely made me a more flexible athlete and resourceful in adapting to my environment to continue training,” said Bryant.
On average, she trains 13 to 15 hours a week while also working in one of the Navy’s most physically and mentally demanding communities. To date, Bryant has completed nearly 30 triathlons, including 13 Half Ironmans, all while maintaining her responsibilities as a platoon commander.
While placing in a triathlon is a feat of its own, her long-term focus is earning a professional triathlete status-a goal she says her EOD career has uniquely prepared her for.
“I know what I can do in the endurance world, whether it’s running, swimming, or sitting on the bike for three-plus hours. I know my body can handle it, so when I go to a drill or an operation, I’m not worried about the physical aspect-I can focus on doing the job right.”
The overlap between an EOD operator’s mindset and triathlon training-discipline, focus, and mental resiliency-has become the common ground between Bryant’s two worlds.
She recently finished in the top eight percent of competitors at the Ironman World Championship in Marbella, Spain, placing 164th overall among 2,300 athletes-just two months after her podium finish in San Diego.
“I think about the hard things I’ve done, whether it’s triathlon-related or life-related, and just think, ‘Okay, I got through that-I can definitely get through this.’ Trusting in my training was the key to staying mentally focused,” Bryant said.
Bryant plans to return to the world competition next year, continuing to train between missions while leading Sailors within the EOD community. Her message to others is simple: invest in yourself so you can invest more into others and the mission.
“Being able to have interests outside of work… it’s beneficial for everyone on the team and yourself. You meet people that way and it opens up your circle. You’re happier because you’re doing hobbies you enjoy, and that only makes you stronger mentally and physically.”
Whether gearing up for a triathlon or leading her platoon while on deployment, Bryant relies on the same principles-preparation, discipline, and trusting your training.
Two worlds.
One mindset.
| Date Taken: | 12.12.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.29.2025 10:04 |
| Story ID: | 555215 |
| Location: | VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 66 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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