7 July 2025
Air Force Corporal Tahlia Stockley, a physical training instructor at 1 Recruit Training Unit, recently swapped the gym floor for the Queensland coastline to support an UltraMan athlete in one of the world’s toughest endurance events.
The UltraMan race in Noosa spanned three gruelling days and included a 10-kilometre swim, 421.1-kilometre bike ride and an 84.3-kilometre run.
Corporal Stockley was invited to join the support crew for athlete Ben, who competed in the event. The opportunity was quickly identified and approved as a professional development opportunity.
“I was lucky enough to be asked by my good friend Kelsey, who’s a performance sports dietitian, to join her as a crew member,” Corporal Stockley said.
“Ben, the UltraMan athlete, is one of her clients, and she knew it was right up my alley.
“The role of a crew member is essentially to keep the athlete fed, safe and motivated during the three-day race.
“We were the drivers, navigators, nutrition and hydration trackers, first aiders, and their mental support system. We kept them going when they wanted to give up.”
'Being able to identify when someone’s mentally or physically spent is crucial in our environment.'
Supporting someone through extreme endurance gave Corporal Stockley a fresh perspective on fatigue management, something she said she would carry over to her role training future aviators.
“Throughout the race, I learnt to read fatigue signs just by observing mood and body language. I’ll take these skills back to training aviators,” Corporal Stockley said.
“Being able to identify when someone’s mentally or physically spent is crucial in our environment.”
An active member of ADF Triathlon, Corporal Stockley also found the experience motivating for her own athletic ambitions.
“As an ADF Triathlon Club member, this opportunity inspired me to train even harder for my own goals, like completing Ironman Busselton in 2025,” she said.
“Watching Ben push through pain showed me just how far the human body and mind can go.
“My chain of command was incredibly supportive. They approved the time off as professional development straight away and saw it as a chance to enhance my instructional and personal skills, which it absolutely did.”
Corporal Stockley said the backing from her unit and the wider Defence sporting community made all the difference.
She said highlighting Defence sporting opportunities like this could encourage more people to consider an ADF career.
“If more people knew about this side of the organisation, I think recruitment numbers would skyrocket,” Corporal Stockley said.
“It’s such a unique part of military life.”
