FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- Soldiers in Fort Rucker's Aviation Captains Career Course showcased the high standard they set for themselves during the Iron Aviator competition at Lake Tholocco May 5.
The event takes place at the end of the five-month course and is designed to be both a way for the Soldiers to have fun and to use their team-building and leadership skills, according to Maj. Jason Yellman, AVC3 small group leader and event coordinator.
"This is an opportunity for them to cut loose, but to also show their leadership abilities," he said. "It was a fairly even playing field and we had a lot of athletes put forth their best efforts."
Capt. Dave Aamidor, AVC3 student, broke the old course record by over a minute with his individual time of 1:39:06. He said staying focused and pushing himself when things got tough was how he managed to set a new high mark for the event.
"I knew there would be a lot of good competition, but my goal was to win," he said. "It wasn't easy, because there were a couple of moments when I thought I might not have the win."
Aamidor said he didn't experience any real problems during the running or biking portion of the race, but on the final stretch before the swimming competition, he started to feel winded.
"As soon as I hit the water, I breathed in a whole lot of water and started to lose it a little bit," he said. "I couldn't get my breathing down for the first 100 meters. When I got out I got a (cramp) in my leg and I thought I might rip something if I kept going full-speed."
Aamidor has done a few triathlons in the past, he said, but this event was not exactly like the events of the past.
"I'm very satisfied with my overall time," he said. "Comparing it to the triathlons I've done would be like comparing apples and oranges. They're completely different types of events and different distances are covered in those."
Aamidor said having lots of flat surface area and downhill runs helped him stay ahead in the running and biking portions, which ultimately led to him swimming the final leg of the race alone.
In the team competition, Capts. Nick Maksim, Zack Keefer, Morgan Laird and Natalie Mallicoat posted the best time of 1:46:50. Each worked a different aspect of the race, but all agreed it was Mallicoat's strong swimming abilities that kept them in the lead.
"We had a really strong team, overall," Laird said. "(Keefer) bikes a lot and was able to make up some of the ground we lost during the ruck march. (Mallicoat) really pulled it off for us in the end. She's a great swimmer."
Mallicoat said she stayed focused because she didn't want to let her team down, but was surprised the water at West Beach wasn't cold.
"I knew all the hard work and effort that went into making the team good, so I just kept thinking about that," she said. "The water was pretty comfortable, so that made it easier to stay focused and keep pushing forward."
One way Keefer stayed focused on the bike riding portion was to make himself feel like he was being chased, he said.
"When I felt like somebody was right behind me, it made me pedal faster," he said. "That really helped me push myself harder."
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