Airman recounts challenging Coach Ken

"Lockley, you know Coach Ken is the most fit man on the base right?" That's the first question I was asked when I decided to challenge Capt. Ken Corigliano, 56th Special Operations Intelligence Squadron executive officer, and the number one tri-athlete in the U.S. Air Force to a showdown.

USAF: Airman 1st Class Ericka Engblom

U.S. Air Force Captain Ken Corigliano, 56th Special Operations Intelligence Squadron executive officer runs during a fitness challenge against Airman 1st Class Xavier Lockley, 27th Special Operations Wing public affairs photographer Aug. 23 at the gym at Cannon Air Force Base.

We met at noon. The day was hot, easily over 95 degrees and the phrase "you could boil an egg on the sidewalk" never felt so real. As I hydrated throughout the day, anticipating the challenge, I realized that this was not going to be easy. Thinking to myself about how hard this man trains for multiple triathlons a year, I started to tell myself, "No matter what he does, you go there and don't quit!"

Preparation for this sort of challenge takes time; it's not just something you can jump into.

The first event was biking. We were going to cycle around the base twice, which is roughly 20 miles. I felt mentally and physically prepared. I knew that there was nothing else left but to perform.

When I arrived at the starting destination, I was met by Coach Ken and immediately received gear for the bike ride. As we began riding, the wind gave me push-back a few times, forcing me to use more leg power. Coach Ken raced ahead of me and my competitive spirit kicked in. I started to pedal faster, but the faster I went the more exhausted I got.

I figured since we were riding around the base twice, I would pace myself and then go faster on the second lap. By the time we were done with the first lap I felt fine, even though I drank no water during the first part of the race. The second lap Coach Ken pushed me to do even better; he rode next to me and taught me about aerodynamics. After the bike ride we went for a mile run which was rough after the long ride.

I ended up losing to Coach Ken in the first event.

Before and after each event, Coach Ken and I would often stretch and hydrate just to make sure our muscles and other joints wouldn't become exhausted.

The next event was swimming, which was a bigger challenge for me.

Swimming takes more core strength and whole body movement than biking. Coach Ken came prepared to swim for an hour, so he paced himself throughout the challenge. He gave me the option of using a kickboard during the race, which I gladly accepted.

We started warming up; he did a lap in the pool, and I did some kicking to get the feel for how to do it in the water. As the race started, Coach Ken leaped straight ahead of me and never looked back. The race was quick and due to the fact that I am not a practiced swimmer; he cruised to victory without any problem.

Lastly, Coach Ken and I ran. Going into this event, I felt great. I had prepared the most for this since I knew he wanted to run long distances. The race was a 4 mile, non-stop run. Coach Ken immediately sprinted to take the lead, but I came back around and caught up. However, in the end, Corigliano's training helped him come out on top in all three events.

Coach Ken is an absolute monster when it comes to fitness. I have seen good athletes, but none like him. The amount of time he puts into fitness is ridiculous. The way he approaches it day-after-day, it's literally amazing the guy can maintain this level of endurance throughout the day. I'd like to see anyone try and keep up with Corigliano.