COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado -- The 50th Force Support Squadron held its second annual dry-triathlon Sept. 25 at the base fitness center.
Bradley Radabaugh, 2nd Space Operations Squadron, placed first on the men’s side with a time of 38 minutes, 7 seconds and Gail Smicklas, Schriever Air Force Base inspector general, finished first for the women at 45:05.
Fourteen participants selected a time between 6 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to complete a 2,000-meter row, 300 body squats and a 5K run. Competitors earned a T-shirt while the top three male and female finishers received a shirt and a $25 gift card.
“It was well put together and provided us safety with social distancing,” Radabaugh said. “It was great to have the event and get some normalcy again.”
Radabaugh finished more than two minutes faster than the male winner of the inaugural event in 2019, Brady Weaver, 4th SOPS, who finished in 40:27.
Despite Radabaugh‘s performance, he was nearly bested in the final heat of the day. Jeffrey Lucy, U.S. Space Command Joint Intelligence and Security, placed second and finished 10 seconds shy of Radabaugh‘s time at 38:17 despite the major completing 300 consecutive squats.
While Radabaugh enjoyed the competition aspect of the dry triathlon, he said the event served as a method of self-improvement.
“It was just another training day,” Radabaugh said. “I just wanted a competitive environment to train. I run a lot and I’m disciplined with my daily workouts so this was a good way to test myself to see where I’m at.”
For the women, Smicklas managed the sixth fastest time of all 14 participants and did so as the lone entry in the 10:30 a.m. slot.
She said her desire to win while having a good workout helped push her. Still Smicklas said she had to overcome a mental hurdle for one segment of the event.
“I had a little anxiety about doing 300 squats in a row since I have never done that before in my life,” Smicklas said. “I focused on my music and told myself to just keep going.”
Despite the rigors presented by the dry triathlon, Smicklas plans to compete in the upcoming 50th FSS race Friday.
“I’m looking forward to the half marathon,” she said. “The athletic events that Seth [Cannello] and his team put together are really fun, challenging and well-organized.”
The 15th annual half marathon takes place 8 a.m. Check-in for the event must be completed by 7:45 a.m. All finishers will receive a T-shirt and the top three male and female winners will receive gift cards.