Leading by Example

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Chance C. Babin
  • 920th Rescue Wing
As Thomas Paine once said, "The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph," for Lt. Col. Joel Kinnunen, his conflict came in the form of a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and lateral ligaments while at the Combat Rescue Officer's Course at Kirkland Air Force Base, N.M., last December. His triumph was a long road of rehabilitation away from coming to fruition.
After suffering his injuries Colonel Kinnunen had to dig deep to find the strength he'd need to reach his goal of running in the World Triathlon Championships in Hamburg, Germany September 1, 2007.
So often in the world of sports the difference between winning and losing is how a person deals with adversity. It's this character trait that frequently sets champions apart.
So when Colonel Kinnunen, commander of the 304th Rescue Squadron, Portland International Airport, found himself hobbled, he knew he would have to rehabilitate and train hard to be ready for the upcoming triathlon season.
More than six months later, after countless hours of rehabbing, he was competing in the National Triathlon Championships in Beaverton, Ore., challenging for a roster spot on Team USA.
To make the team, Colonel Kinnunen would have to finish in the top 16 of his age bracket, 40-44.
After months of fighting back from his injuries, Colonel Kinnunen finished the race in 19th place, just three spots away from qualifying automatically.
"I was kind of nervous about being 19th," he said. "I didn't expect to qualify, but I figured I had a good shot at making it on the team."
Because the event is held in different locations around the world every year, many people that qualify choose not to be part of the team. This year's event was in Germany and as Colonel Kinnunen said, it can get expensive.
"Enough people ahead of me didn't go so I fell into a slot," he said. "So we took the trip and made a vacation out of it."
At the World Championships Colonel Kinnunen faced a field of 132 competitors in his age bracket, but it was once again his health that would pose his greatest threat.
"I got food poisoning a few days before the race," he said. "I wasn't able to eat very well and I got a little dehydrated (he lost a lot of fluids during his sickness). Come race day I wasn't sure how I would do."
He said he started off a little slow on his swim to test his body and got stronger as he progressed, finishing the 1,500 M swim, the 40 K bike ride and the 10 K run. He finished the event in 2 hours and 14 minutes.
"I finished 54th out of 132," he said. "It was a little slower than I expected, but under the circumstances not too bad."
Colonel Kinnunen will have an opportunity to improve on his finish next year as he is already qualified for the event scheduled to be held in Vancouver, Canada. (Master Sgt. Chance C. Babin is an Air Force Reservist assigned to the 920th Rescue Wing.  The 920th Rescue Wing is the parent wing of the 304th Rescue Squadron located at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla.)