David Goggins American Athlete Born 1975 in Buffalo

David Goggins is an American ultramarathon runner, author and motivational speaker who served in both the United States Air Force and the Navy. He was born on 17 February 1975 in Buffalo, New York, and stands 186 centimetres tall. He first drew attention for his endurance racing, and later for a memoir that reached the New York Times bestseller list.

Early life

Goggins was born in Buffalo to Trunnis and Jackie Goggins and spent his first years in the Williamsville area, where he and his brother Trunnis Jr. lived with their parents. His father ran a roller-skating rink in East Buffalo, and as a small child Goggins helped there at night, sorting rental skates. He has described his early home life in very negative terms.

After his mother left the marriage, she moved with her sons to the home of his grandparents in Brazil, Indiana. His brother later returned to Buffalo to live with their father. Goggins began school at a small Catholic school and, by third grade, had been identified as having a learning disability, which he linked to the schooling he had missed. He also developed a stutter. In Indiana he encountered racist harassment at school. His grandfather's service in the Air Force led him to join the Civil Air Patrol as a cadet, and before his first year of high school he attended an orientation course for pararescue jumpers.

Career

Goggins joined the Air Force and was accepted into pararescue training, but he was removed from the programme for a time after a sickle cell trait diagnosis. He transferred to Tactical Air Control Party training and served in that role from 1994 until 1999.

Later he left a job as an exterminator to pursue a place in the Navy SEALs. After joining the reserves, he reduced his weight by 106 pounds in three months to meet the entry standard. He graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training with class 235 in 2001 and was assigned to SEAL Team 5. During his military career he served a tour in Iraq, and in 2004 he completed Army Ranger School, where he was named Enlisted Honor Man.

In 2005, after the deaths of several military colleagues in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan, he began long-distance running to raise money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides college support to the children of fallen special operations personnel. Over time he raised more than two million dollars for the foundation.

His racing results include fifth place at the Badwater 135 in 2006 and third place in 2007. He also took second place in the 2006 Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii, a three-day, 320-mile triathlon. He did not finish Badwater in 2008 or 2014 but placed eighteenth in 2013. In 2016 he won the Infinitus 88k, the Music City Ultra 50k and the Strolling Jim 40 Miler. In 2020 he finished second in the 241-mile Moab 240 in 63 hours and 21 minutes, and in August 2025 he completed the Bigfoot 200 in Washington state in 66 hours, 4 minutes and 17 seconds, placing twenty-third.

The entrepreneur Jesse Itzler saw him compete in a 24-hour race and invited him to live in his home for a month, an episode Itzler described in his book Living With A SEAL.

In 2018 Goggins published the memoir Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds, in which he sets out what he calls the 40% Rule, the idea that people use only a portion of what they are capable of. A second book, Never Finished: Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within, followed in December 2022. In 2026 he reenlisted in the Air Force and was assigned to the Special Warfare Training Wing.

Recognition

Goggins holds seven military decorations: the Achievement Medal, Commendation Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Sea Service Ribbon and Special Warfare insignia. In 2008 Runner's World named him a Hero of Running, and in 2019 he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame for his sporting achievements and military service.

Personal life

Goggins keeps his family life largely out of public view. His published writing focuses on his upbringing, his training and his racing.