ATLANTA – 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.

Local perspective:

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.

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.

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.

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

“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.

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.

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.

“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.” 

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.

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.”

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.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – For 12 years now, Livability.com has published its Top 100 Best Places to Live list — and in 2025, Roswell and Athens made the cut.

The website combed through data in partnership with Applied Geographic Solutions, a demographics database, to choose the best U.S. cities with a population between 75,000 and 500,000. But the 2025 edition doesn’t list the cities from 1 to 100. Instead, it has an interactive sorting system, so users can pick and choose which features are most important to them.

Livability.com Editor-in-Chief Amanda Ellis said this year’s list celebrates small and midsize cities where Americans can thrive despite record inflation and a turbulent workforce.

“It’s the only list out there truly honing in on affordability, lauding the amazing, accessible cities across the country other than our large U.S. metros which often get more recognition,” she said.

Roswell, which earned an overall LivScore of 838 out of 1000, scored the highest out of any city for its economy, which is flush with jobs in the healthcare, technology and manufacturing sectors. It also ranked high for its hospitals and amenities.

“With a prime location close to the city, a nearby airport and easy access to the Chattahoochee River, Roswell offers a combination of history, charm and modern amenities, including top-notch health care facilities and list-worthy schools, attractive neighborhoods and plenty of outdoor fun,” Livability.com said in its synopsis.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Metro Atlanta city named one of the best places to live in the U.S. by study

This year marks Roswell’s second time making the list. It ranked No. 12 in 2024.

Meanwhile, Athens hopped on the list for the first time in 2025, earning a LivScore of 646. It scored well for its outdoor environment and public transportation options.

“Athens is alive with Southern charm and a lively arts scene,” Livability.com said. “This vibrant college town is brimming with historic architecture, a thriving music scene and a whole lot of school pride.”

Click here to see Livability’s Top 100 Best Places to Live list for 2025.

Copyright 2025 WANF. All rights reserved.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – After a historic weekend at the Masters that saw Rory McIlroy become the sixth golfer to achieve a career Grand Slam, golf is enjoying its spot in the limelight.

It’s also learning to adapt to new players of all skill levels and disabilities.

Dan Schlatterer is in the latter group.

“I had a stroke 10 years ago while I was working in a hospital, ironically,” he said.

The former trauma surgeon and diehard Buffalo Bills fan now struggles to use his left hand. He plays golf using only his right.

“Golf has motivated me to work on my leg strength and my balance,” he said. “That’s why I love coming out here.”

“Out here” is the driving range at Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, a site used by the nonprofit Georgia State Golf Association’s (GSGA) Adaptive Golf program.

“Anyone with a physical, cognitive, or sensory impairment can learn and enjoy this great game of golf,” said program director David Windsor.

That openness is a hard contrast with what can seem like an impossible sport to access, even as the game furiously promotes its growth.

Tuesday’s program welcomed nearly two dozen participants. Volunteers helped multiple blind golfers, provided specialized carts for paralyzed players, and provided adaptive training for other physical conditions.

“There’s always room for improvement,” Schlatter said. “It’s never good enough, which is sort of like life, I suppose.”

For some, it’s a light after a tragedy or trauma.

“Golf is helping me get my life back,” said golfer Chris Johnson.

“It is great therapy without ever saying the word ‘therapy,’” added Windsor.

Because more than any other sport, golf isn’t played with the eyes, or the feet, or with strength. Golf is mainly between the ears.

“They can do something that they thought was not possible again,” Windsor said.