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Georgia Tech student becomes youngest to complete Ultraman Florida

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Georgia Tech student becomes youngest to complete Ultraman Florida


A Georgia Tech sophomore has made history after competing in one of the toughest challenges in the country.

Second-year biomedical engineering student Jacob Beldick is now the youngest person to complete Ultraman Florida – a three-day, 320-mile challenge that tested him to his limits.

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The triathlon almost forced Beldick to give up. Instead, he doubled down, and now he’s sharing his message of perseverance and resilience.

“When I crossed the finish line, it was actually a really different experience than what I thought it was gonna be,” Beldick told Good Day Atlanta.

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He called the race one of the most intense experiences of his life.

On the first day of the triathlon, participants hit the lake for a six-mile swim.

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Beldick trained for this in the pool at Georgia Tech’s recreation center, but he wasn’t expecting how strong the winds would be on competition day.

“I’m getting thrown around by the waves,” he said. “It was crazy.”

He ended up swimming eight miles, then he still had 90 more to go on his bike.

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Jacob Beldick on his bike. (Courtesy of Jacob Beldick)

On day two, Beldick got back on the bike for 261 miles. That’s when fate threw a curveball.

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“Around mile 85 of the bike, I ended up getting a flat tire and noticed that the saddle for my bike had broken,” he said.

And that’s not all.

“I was having just extreme lower back pain,” he said. “The best way I found to describe it would be imagining if someone took a power drill and dug it into your lower spine.”

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As a beginner, Beldick didn’t have an official team behind him – just the love and support from his mom and dad, who also had no experience with such an intense race.

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But Beldick said he found help along the way.

“They were fully prepared to do the entire three days just helping me out, but we got lucky, and a couple down there that’s been very involved in Ultraman ended up helping us on Day 2 and 3. They realized my parents were getting me to the finish line, but they were struggling a bit just with the logistics.”

After all the adversity, Beldick survived and moved on to the double marathon on the third day.

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It took him a little over 11 hours to run the 52.4-mile course.

It may seem impossible to some, but Beldick had months and months of training to pull from.

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“Around this track, I did a lot of running. Two to four hours was generally my sweet spot,” he told Good Day at Georgia Tech. “My shorter training days were around the 10-12 mile mark, and then my longer days would go over a marathon distance.”

The sophomore challenged his mind, too.

“A lot of that had to do with mastering my thought process. While I was actually in the training sessions, I would stimulate exercises where I wouldn’t have access to water for a bit, or I might not have access to my nutrition all the time. Maybe I’d run out of electrolytes and have to go a few miles before I catch up with my crew.” 

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What’s next:

After all of the ups and downs, the moment came. Beldick raised his arms in victory as he crossed the finish line. His total time was 35 hours, 17 minutes, and 20 seconds.

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Beldick’s total time was 35 hours, 17 minutes, and 20 seconds. (Courtesy of Jacob Beldick)

But for him, that wasn’t the ultimate reward.

“When someone is trying to achieve something great, the actual reward for getting there isn’t the actual reward,” he said. “The real reward lies in the type of person they become by putting themselves through that challenge.”

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It was a double celebration for Beldick after finishing the race. He turned 20 years old the day after the competition.

He’s now qualified for Ultraman Hawaii but he doesn’t have plans to compete. Instead, he is thinking about doing a 100-mile race to raise money and awareness for Save a Child’s Heart, a charity that helps underprivileged children get access to treatments for various heart conditions.

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The Source: Good Day’s Michael Addison reported this story out of Atlanta.

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No. 3 Georgia to Host Top-Ranked Auburn for Regular Season Finale – University of Georgia Athletics

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No. 3 Georgia to Host Top-Ranked Auburn for Regular Season Finale – University of Georgia Athletics


ATHENS – The third-ranked Georgia equestrian team will host No. 1 Auburn on Saturday at 12 p.m. to conclude the regular season. 
 
Georgia fell at Auburn 14-6 to wrap up the fall slate of their season. The overall record against the Tigers currently stands at 31-31, including a 13-7 record in Bishop.
 
During their National Championship run in the 2024-25 season, the Mane Dawgs faced off against Auburn on three separate occasions. Georgia was victorious at home, 11-9, before falling on the road, 11-8. In the quarterfinals of the NCEA National Championships in Ocala, the Bulldogs stunned the second-ranked Tigers, 13-4, en route to their eighth National Championship title.
 
Georgia returns to action following a trip to Blythewood, South Carolina, to take on the third-ranked Gamecocks. 
 
Top-ranked Auburn travels to Bishop after hosting No. 4 SMU at home the prior weekend. The Tigers defeated the Mustangs 13-7 and swept all four MOP honors.
 
Following the conclusion of the meet, Georgia will honor their seven seniors for their dedication and contributions to the program.

The meet will be streamed on SECN+ at https://gado.gs/e7v, and live scoring will be available at https://gado.gs/e7w.

 

HOW TO FOLLOW GEORGIA EQUESTRIAN: For complete information on Georgia equestrian, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGAEquestrian on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

JOIN OUR MANE DAWGS FUND: Mane Dawgs Fund contributions make a direct impact in supporting our student-athletes and equines at the Georgia Equestrian program. A gift to the Mane Dawgs fund helps provide resources such as equipment upgrades for our student and equine athletes, travel assistance, and enhance overall team experiences. Contributions to the Mane Dawgs provide benefits such as membership gifts and information about upcoming special events. Click here for more information.

 

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Georgia OC Mike Bobo gets giant pay raise, salary matches DC Glenn Schumann

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Georgia OC Mike Bobo gets giant pay raise, salary matches DC Glenn Schumann


Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann will be paid equally in 2026 after receiving raises, according to an Athens Banner-Herald report.

Coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs are coming off a second consecutive SEC championship season and College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl quarterfinal appearance.

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Georgia Lt. Gov. announces bill inspired by Charlie Kirk to protect student speech

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Georgia Lt. Gov. announces bill inspired by Charlie Kirk to protect student speech


Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones on Monday unveiled legislation inspired by the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk that he says would expand students’ free speech rights in public schools, making Georgia the first state in the nation to pursue such a measure.

Jones announced the “True Patriotism and Universal Student Access Act,” known as the TPUSA Act, on Monday as a priority for the 2026 legislative session. The proposal, sponsored by State Sen. Ben Watson (R–Savannah), would strengthen First Amendment protections for public school students by safeguarding their right to speak, organize, and express political and religious views on campus.

The bill is explicitly shaped around the work and legacy of Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA and its political arm, Turning Point Action. Jones and others have framed the legislation as a way to honor Kirk’s efforts to mobilize young conservatives and defend free speech in schools and on college campuses.

“In the spirit and memory of Charlie’s work, the TPUSA Act in Georgia would ensure that students’ First Amendment rights to organize, gather and speak are protected, regardless of their religious, political, or social viewpoints,” Jones said in a press release. “Georgia is leading the way as the first state in the nation to do it.”

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Founder and President of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk speaks during the Turning Point Believers Summit at the Palm Beach County Civic Center on July 26, 2024. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Miami Herald


Jones, who is running for governor and is endorsed by both former President Donald Trump and Turning Point Action, also emphasized his broader commitment to free speech rights as part of his campaign rhetoric. 

“Georgia is building on the work of Charlie Kirk to ensure students can speak, organize and express their beliefs freely,” Jones posted on social media. 

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The TPUSA Act would require public schools in Georgia to permit political expression before, during and after the school day to the same extent that non-political expression is allowed. It also would let students form political clubs and groups during non-instructional time, bar discrimination against groups based on viewpoint, and guarantee that students could wear politically themed clothing and accessories under the same standards that apply to other permitted attire.

Supporters say the legislation would ensure that school administrators cannot block students from engaging in peaceful political activities and that all viewpoints, partisan and nonpartisan, would have equal access to meeting spaces and facilities.

Sen. Watson said the move reflects the belief that schools should not restrict students’ free speech or prohibit them from organizing around their beliefs. 

“School officials should not have the power to enforce their own ideologies on students,” he said.

Josh Thifault, senior director at Turning Point Action, praised Georgia’s effort, asserting that Kirk “lived and died for the First Amendment.” He added that the legislation will benefit students “for decades to come” by removing barriers to student expression.

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