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Two Guardsmen Make All-Army Triathlon Team
By Master Sgt. Greg Rudl
National Guard Bureau
Arlington, Va., (6/25/09) - A traditional Solider from the Wisconsin National Guard and a Florida Guardsman working full time at the Army National Guard Readiness Center recently earned spots on the All-Army triathlon team.
Capts. Brian Dunker, 30, and Anthony Lee, 36, were notified in early May that they had made the elite squad after submitting written applications in April detailing their successes in triathlons as well as other endurance sports.
The All-Army team consists of 12 males and seven females, including the U.S. national duathlon champion, a U.S. collegiate triathlon national runner-up and two other USA Triathlon Professional Card holders.
"Earning a spot on the All-Army Team is a highly competitive and selective process, to say very the least," said Lee, who works as an acquisitions officer in the Material Program Division at the readiness center.
"I began doing triathlons at the age of 14 and have competed in more than 100, 10 of the Ironman length (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run)," said Lee, who grew up in Gallion, Ohio. "In the last seven years, I took some time off from competing to spend more time with my daughters. But now they are older and I felt the 'bug' return, so I again began to train."
And train he does, running 50-70 miles, cycling 150-400 miles, and swimming 15 kilometers a week at his peak training times. Although, he admits that he should swim more.
Lee has been working toward getting USA Triathlon coaching certifications and others to be able to coach year, including those on the All-Army team. He's already started a coaching business on the side.
"The talent on the team is incredible," said Dunker, about his selection. He competed with the Army team at the 2009 Armed Forces Championship at Point Mugu, Calif., in May, where it took on the other services.
"It was a real eye-opener to that next level of competition," he said about the race there, which included a one-mile swim, 26-mile bike and 6.2-mile run.
"This year's Armed Forces Championships was a very competitive event with the defending champions, the Navy, bringing a strong contingent," said Lee. "We knew that Army had a chance to win with all of the amazing talent on the Army team this year."
The Navy team prevailed, with Army a close second, then Air Force and then the Marines.
Dunker, who is assigned to the Wisconsin Guard's 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, has finished about 10 triathlons in his two years in the sport. He served six years on active duty, which included a one-year tour in Iraq.
He currently lives in Memphis, Tenn., where he is building a startup real estate investment company. He trains six days a week for about three hours a day, and his next big event will be the Age Group National Championships in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Aug. 22.
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