“I didn’t really like running for most of my life and then I ended up getting into cross country when I was in High School. After my Junior year in High School, I ended up stopping because I just didn’t like it. It may have just been my own laziness,” said Brother Jacob Beldick (Georgia Tech, 2027).

It’s hard to imagine that someone who is now an ultramarathoner once described himself as lazy.

“I was running on my own for a little bit and I started getting into the idea of pushing myself and learning more about my limits and what the limits of human potential are.” After doing some reading and following some influencers online, Jacob began to take seriously the idea of pushing himself even further. “It was really remarkable within like two or three months, I went from never having run further than a 5K race to doing my first 50K during the fall semester of my freshman year.”

As the saying goes, “Dream the impossible and make it possible.”

“I was training for a 100-mile run (editor’s note: that is NOT a typo) and I started thinking of doing something else. I started training to do an Ironman (triathlon) so that I could be able to do an Ultraman.” An Ironman triathlon is comprised of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112 mile bike and a 26.26 mile marathon. An Ultraman is a multi-day competition which includes a 6.2-mile swim, a 261.4-mile bike ride, and a 52.4-mile run, all completed over three consecutive days.

In the space of 10 months, Jacob went from a 5K being his longest race to completing an Ironman and training for an Ultraman.

“I did OK in my first Ironman, but I didn’t do very well because I didn’t know much about my nutrition. I didn’t have a great nutritional strategy, and I basically ended up falling apart around mile 20 of the run. I just wasn’t eating enough, and I needed more electrolytes. I had nothing left in the tank, but it was like a mind over matter situation and I never walked during the run. I ended up passing a lot of people at the end. I made sure that no matter what happened…whatever the pain was…I wasn’t stopping.”

So, why look at the Ultraman competition? “I was already really interested in the idea of pushing myself past my limits and trying to be the best version of myself. And I really got interested in doing these things, not so much for the actual act of doing them, but more because I was really curious about what kind of person I would become as a result of doing that. I learned more about who I am as a person, and what I stand for in those few hours of a race that I have really in any other experience before then.”

In addition to his training and studies in his biomedical engineering courses at Georgia Tech, he has become active in AEPi’s Zeta chapter. “I was on the fence about rushing in general, but I ended going to a few AEPi events during rush and I knew that this was the place I wanted to be.” Jacob was quickly elected his chapter’s sentinel. “I learned so much about interacting with other people, integrating their experiences into my decisions and making sure that people are safe, and things are properly arranged. It taught me about all of the effort that goes into running an organization.” Jacob also served as the chapter’s exchequer. “The reoccurring theme was the realization that there is always so much more that goes into running things than people would expect. AEPi has helped shape me into being a better leader.”

“Most of my training is done alone, though. If I’m doing a training run of 13,15, 20 miles, it’s hard to find people willing to do that with me.”

“My brothers have helped me raise awareness and money for a cause I support (former AEPi philanthropic partner) Save A Child’s Heart. My chapter was really helpful with just promoting that and sending me messages during the Ultraman competition. They could see each day how it was doing and what I was dealing with, and they just were following along and keeping in touch.”

Last month, Jacob became the youngest person (19) to complete the 320-mile (Editor’s Note: also, not a typo) Ultraman Florida competition. “The first day was a 6.2-mile swim and 90 miles on the bike. The second day is 171 miles on the bike and the third day is a double marathon. Each day has a 12-hour time limit so you can’t take it slow. If you miss a cut-off you are disqualified.”

“There were challenges throughout the race, but I learned to overcome them. Even just starting off with a swim in the lake and I didn’t expect there to be the waves that we had. I felt like I was swimming in the ocean. I had trouble staying on the course and I ended up swimming about eight miles because I kept going off course. I also had a flat tire on my bike on the first day and then my bike seat broke which was a problem the next day.”

The broken seat became a huge problem on the second day. “Every time I was on the bike, it felt like someone was pushing a power drill slowly into my spine throughout the day. It was the worst pain of my life.”

“The last day was a double marathon. That was the easiest for me! But I was running with someone and we made a wrong turn and it ended up costing me 3.5 or 4 miles! I still made it, but it added a lot to my time. I’m now the youngest person to complete Ultraman Florida.”

“The key is – the biggest takeaway for me – is don’t stop. Persistence. Persistence. Persistence. Don’t ever give up.”

#ProudtobeaPi