While stationed at Naval Air Station Sigonella, service members, civilian employees and their families find a number of ways to enrich their tour experience.

There are some who choose to explore new places, develop foreign language skills and taste new foods. The Walaska family found an opportunity to push the boundaries of their physical capabilities.

LCDR Brock Walaska, Operations Officer at Fleet Logistics Center, Sigonella, and his wife Rae, earned 11th and 19th place in their respective age groups and competitions during the 2018 Powerman Zofingen ITU Duathlon World Championship in Zofingen, Switzerland, Sept. 2, 2018.

As part of Team USA, the duo competed with hundreds of other athletes from around the world in a series of high endurance, long-distance challenges that rival those of the Ironman Triathlon.

“Being relatively new to the sport and having never done a race of this length, my goals were to complete the race under 9 hours, finish strong and represent Team USA well,” Brock said.

He finished the long distance race at 08:32:27.

Brock's race involved a 10km run, a 150km bike ride and a 30km run. Rae competed in the short distance race that involved a 10km run, 50km bike ride and a 5km run. Both races led the Walaskas and the other participating athletes across and through miles of sharp turns, forest paths, steep climbs and cobblestone roads that vary in elevations up to 7,400 feet.

During the race, hundreds of fans of the competition lined the course to cheer on the racers.

 “The Swiss came out in big numbers to cheer everyone on throughout the race,” Brock said. ‘Hopp Hopp Hopp,’ means ‘Go Go Go,’ and I can still hear them cheering in my head.”

In the end, Brock and Rae achieved more than simply demonstrating their physical endurance. They discovered yet another way to represent their country.

“I’m not an emotional guy, but when I crossed the finish line carrying the flag with the announcer calling my name and Team USA, the tears were welling up.”

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