CLAY NATIONAL GUARD CENTER, Marietta, Ga., Sept. 25, 2012 – The Georgia Guard’s three most senior leaders – Maj. Gen. Jim Butterworth, Georgia’s Adjutant General; Maj. Gen. Tom Moore, Assistant Adjutant General-Air; and Brig. Gen. Joe Jarrard, Assistant Adjutant General-Army – have cleared their calendars to participate in the day-long Augusta Ironman 70.3 triathlon, and are training to compete in the relay team category as Team Georgia National Guard.

When more than 2,000 local, national and international participants of this year’s Augusta Ironman 70.3 triathlon come together and compete this Sunday, there will most certainly be several other Georgia Army and Air Guardsmen competing at the individual level. There usually are in competitions like this.

What better way to test a Guardsman’s physical and mental strength and endurance than by doing something that requires you to “train to sustain” and improve at least three days each week, or even more?

As for the generals’ reasons for competing, the trio agreed there are two driving motivations.

“First, what better way,” asked Butterworth, “for us to ‘lead from the front’ than by taking part in an event where the very things we teach our Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen – teamwork, leadership, the courage to go on no matter what, and the importance of good, consistent physical training – are deciding factors in what makes, or breaks some of the best athletes in the U.S. and the world?”

Their second reason for taking on this grueling test of the human body and spirit is to help raise funds for, and increasing public awareness or, the important work being done by the Wounded Warrior Program (WWP) and the Georgia Warrior Alliance. The program provides continuous support to service members of all the branches, and their families, who have suffered service-connected illness and injuries while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The triathlon is all being done with the help of the Scott Rigsby Foundation exclusive charity partner of Ironman 70.3 Augusta, and the foundation’s Operation IRONFREEDOM, which also raises funds used to “support the health, welfare, education and employment” of service members coming back from deployment.

“You know, finishing this race, doing well and representing our organization with pride, especially when you consider the kind of competition we’ll be going up against, is important,” Butterworth said. “Knowing that we’ll be race for a greater good, building awareness about the sacrifices and needs of our fellow warriors and their families, makes competing and competing well that much more important to us.”

The Augusta Ironman 70.3 is one in a series of middle-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corp. (WTC) which take place throughout the year across the U.S., Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. Each of the competitors covers 70.3 miles – individually or as a team – by doing a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run. Each event is half the distance of the same segments found in traditional Ironman triathlon competition.

The Ironman 70.3 series culminates each year with a world championship competition in Las Vegas, Nev., and is also held for the European, Asia-Pacific and Latin America regions.

The Swimmer

When the race starts, Maj. Gen. Butterworth will kick-off the day and hit the icy cold waters of the Savannah River, swimming along with hundreds of other competitors, point-to-point, from 5th Street and Riverfront Marina to the Augusta Rowing Complex public Boat Ramp.

An avid swimmer for as long as he can remember, Butterworth says he has probably done thousands of laps in a pool and quite a few more miles in the lakes close to his home.

“I’ve even competed in a few 5K races and shorter versions of the triathlon, but never anything like an Ironman, at any level,” Butterworth said. “But I’ve trained regularly, and I’ve trained hard for this, increasing my distance each time I swim. While I know I’ll come up against some of the best and most serious competitors there are, at age 46, I’m ready for this.”

At some point, he adds, he would even like to try doing the entire 70.3 as an individual competitor.

The Biker

When Butterworth climbs out of the Savannah and onto that boat ramp, Maj. Gen. Moore will take on the next phase, propelling himself around the 56-mile bike course – from Riverfront Drive and back again – as quickly as he can.

Bicycling for the past five years, Moore says he got into the sport after recovering from his second ACL surgery.

“My doctor literally told me the only time I need to be running is if I am running from someone,” Moore said. “So, needing to find something else to do to stay in shape, I started cycling, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

While he has competed before, he has never cycled in anything as intense as an Ironman, he says. The only other racing he has done has been during the charity race called “Tour De Moose” he sponsors at the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins every year.

To get himself ready for Sunday’s competition, Moore says he spends as much time as work and family obligations allow riding the Silver Comet Trail – 61 miles of former railroad bed that starts in Smyrna, Ga., and ends at the Georgia-Alabama line near Cedartown.

“I try to put in at least 100 miles a week,” Moore said. “It’s hard to get that in sometimes, especially around my job, but this has taught me how important it is to continue to be flexible, to build exercise into your daily schedule, and to be as consistent in doing it as much as you can.”

The Runner

The last leg of the 70.3 mile course belongs to Brig. Gen. Jarrard, who says he has been getting up early and running for the past 26 years… and enjoying it! Having competed in shorter races and the occasional Army 10-miler, this is the longest distance competition he has done.

“Sometimes it’s about doing it simply for the challenge. Other times, it’s for the cause you support, and of course – in this instance – it’s for both reasons as General Butterworth has noted,” he said. “Like General Moore, I too try to do physical training every day, with a day or two off on the weekends. For the Ironman, I’ve focused more on cardio, done less weight-lifting, and lengthened my runs – both in terms of mileage and time.”

As for being ready on Sunday, Jarrard said, “I’m as ready as I can be. How well I do against those who do this kind of competition every year, we’ll find out, but I know my teammates and I are going to give it everything we’ve got to finish in a respectable time.”

Should Team Georgia National Guard make more than a “good showing” and actually qualify to move on to the next level of competition, there is no indication by Butterworth, Moore or Jarrard that they would continue competing. If anything, they agree, doing Ironman 70.3 Augusta is not about that for them.

It is about representing their fellow Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen, and the National Guard with pride. It is about paying tribute to and helping increase support for those who have served their nation with dignity and honor, and about raising even more awareness about the challenges they and their families face.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to for us to tell, not only our story as an organization, but the story of who we are and of the sacrifices made as members of the military, no matter what branch we represent, no matter which uniform we wear,” said Butterworth.

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Roy Henry

Public Affairs Office

Georgia Department of Defense