They were freezing, there was a lot of water, and it brought back memories of me going through pararescue training,” said Goggins. “I saw this show on the Discovery Channel, and it was just guys going through Hell Week.

That's when he saw a documentary that would change his life. Upon returning to civilian life, Goggins got a job spraying for cockroaches, and gained more weight, coming in at 297 pounds - more than he'd ever weighed in his life. Still, Goggins said, the reminder of having dropped out of pararescue school depressed him, and he gained more and more weight as he approached his exit from active duty service. Instead, Goggins became a tactical air controller, serving the rest of his contract with the Air Force in that career field. “I didn't want to go back in the water, so I pretty much just quit.” “It kind of gave me a way out,” admitted Goggins. “I wasn't real comfortable in the water - I hated it,” said Goggins.ĭuring training, military doctors told Goggins he had sickle cell anemia - a blood disease - and gave him the option to drop out. The training was difficult, Goggins said, and involved more swimming than he had expected.

Goggins began his military career at age 19 in the Air Force, with aspirations of becoming a pararescuman.

However, 18 years ago when he showed up at a Navy recruiting station looking to become a Navy SEAL, it was a different story. Reading through his impressive resume, you would be correct in imagining him to be in excellent physical shape at 43 years old, Goggins still regularly competes in ultra-marathons and runs anywhere from 8 to 30 miles every day. If that wasn't enough, Goggins has also completed more than 60 ultra-marathons - many of them involving running more than 100 miles - and holds the Guinness world record for pull-ups, having completed 4,030 in 17 hours.

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