MILITARY - Navy seals are recruiting extreme sports candidates
With sweat soaking his tattered tank top, Petty Officer 1st Class David Goggins hit the finish-line tape high on the slopes of Mount Whitney. He took fifth place Tuesday in a 30-hour foot race from the floor of Death Valley.
For Goggins, a Navy SEAL based in Coronado, running a 135-mile ultra-marathon in 120-degree heat across a desert and three mountain ranges is more than an adventure.
It’s a job.
“One hundred and thirty-five miles – that’s a lot of time to meet people,â€? said Goggins, a SEAL recruiter.
He will compete in more races during the months to come. His work is part of the military’s new efforts to boost significantly the ranks of special-operations forces, including the SEALs, by attracting high-endurance athletes.
The Navy Special Warfare Command figures that ultra-athletes have the physical and mental toughness to get through SEAL training’s legendary Hell Week and thrive in the secretive, intensely demanding world of special ops.
“Most people would think, ‘Oh my God, I couldn’t run 100 miles.’ I didn’t even think about it because I’d been through Hell Week,â€? said Goggins, who also ran this week’s ultra-marathon to raise scholarship money for the children of fallen SEALs.
Besides using recruiters, the SEAL outreach campaign involves print and TV advertising. Recruits who complete training can receive bonuses of up to $40,000.
This year, SEAL recruiters like Goggins are fanning out to 60 triathlons, extreme-sports events and college swimming and wrestling camps. That’s compared with five such visits last year. They keep in touch with would-be SEALs, offering personal-training tips and answering questions about the military.
Want more? Read: Navy hires mentors to help recruiting effort
Jim Stroud
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