Ironman for Life!

Ironman Everyday Hero Award

        David Daggett was recently presented  the Everyday Hero award for the 2009 Ford Ironman™ Coeur d’Alene. The Everyday Hero Award is presented to an athlete who has contributed to a person, charity or organization in a significant way while continuing the challenge of training for arduous Ironman (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile marathon run) competitions. This honor is in recognition of David Daggett’s positive contribution to the community through Safe Sober Prom Night.

(TV excerpt video courtesy of IRONMAN and Ironman Productions)

        Daggett is a founder of Safe Sober Prom Night.  The program encourages positive peer pressure for teenagers on the road to success.   Over the past 19 years more than 400,000 students have taken the “Do It Right!” pledge to stay Safe and Sober. Each year David and his Law Firm personally pay for and distribute more than 15,000 free T-shirts to students who “Take the Pledge.”

Daggett’s personal devotion to and passion for young people is a driving force for the program.  He has personally spoken hundreds of times to thousands of students. This Spring alone he personally made over 50 appearances, presentations, and speeches ranging from individual class rooms to entire student bodies and community events.  His presentations typically include motivational segments that use Ironman analogies and metaphors resulting in a unique avenue of engagement for young people.

“We truly believe that unless the future generations turn out better than ours, that both have failed. So, we each have an obligation to do our part in order to succeed,” says Daggett. “That obligation extends far beyond prom night. When you transform a life, you know you have made a lasting difference — it can’t get any better than that!”

David Daggett was also selected to be a part of the exclusive Ironman™ Executive Challenge (XC) for this Ironman™ event.  As the oldest competitor in this category Daggett joked “I always knew that one day I would be the oldest, I just didn’t know it would happen so soon.”  He placed fourth in the Executive Challenge with an overall time of 11:35:43. This Ironman was Daggett’s eighteenth Ironman™ competition and his 151^st triathlon.

He is an enthusiastic lover and supporter of young people, including his wife and three children. At Church he ushers, teaches Sunday school, presents frequent children’s sermons, and has served in various (most) leadership roles. He is a true believer that unless the future generations turn out better than ours, that both have failed – with his efforts we are working toward success, and “like an Ironman on race day we will not fail.”

The “Ford Everyday Hero” video, created by the Ironman™ broadcast production team was shown at the event.  This footage, along with clips of Daggett in the race,  has been  featured in the Ford Ironman™ television program and has aired  on ESPN International and NBC Universal Sports.