This week, most of us are happy to finish one workout without cutting it short. Matt Johnson, a veteran of the Iowa National Guard, is spending it swimming, biking, and running seven full-distance triathlons back to back, with no rest day between them.
The challenge, called Project 7, runs August 14 through 20 in Avalon, New Jersey. Each day brings the same brutal math: a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run. A single one of those days is enough to break most competitive athletes, who typically spend 9 to 17 hours in the field to finish just one. Johnson is stacking seven of them in a row.
A veteran who runs toward the hard things
Johnson served more than nine years in the Iowa National Guard before transitioning to full-time endurance racing, and he has built a reputation for taking on distances most people wouldn't attempt once, let alone daily for a week. Last year he set a record crossing the entire length of Texas on foot, an 842-mile run that raised more than $30,000 for veteran causes, according to Outside. That run, and this one, share the same purpose: turning extreme physical effort into direct support for veterans working to rebuild.
Where the money goes
According to Project 7's own site, 100% of the funds raised this week go to ValorFit, a nonprofit that helps veterans get free access to CrossFit-style gyms and fitness communities around the country. ValorFit was founded in 2018 by Troy Peterson, an Iraq deployment veteran who struggled with a traumatic brain injury and PTSD after coming home, and who built the organization around a simple idea: veterans do better when they have a gym, a coach, and a community waiting for them. ValorFit has since covered more than 2,000 memberships for veterans across 11 states.
The common thread
Stories like this one land close to home for us. Whether it's an athlete pushing through a week of Ironman-distance racing or a veteran signing up for their first local 5K, the goal is the same: use movement and community to fight back against the isolation that so often follows military service. Endurance sport won't fix everything, but it gives people a reason to show up, a team to answer to, and proof that they can still push past what feels impossible.
If you're a veteran, active-duty service member, or first responder looking for your own starting line, check your eligibility for a free race entry through Operation WarriorFit. You don't have to attempt seven triathlons in seven days. One is a great place to start.