American TRI

American TRI

Summer 2003

For the Kids - David James Elliott

(Click on cover for larger image)

You can Hardly turn past the USA Network on any given day without catching a glimpse of his piercing blue eyes and chisled features. If you're home on a Friday night and watching the tube, chances are you're watching his show. You may not know him by name but you know when you see him.

This unassuming family man has been on television for almost nine years (they just filmed J.A.G.'s 200th episode) and his show has just broken into the top 50 longest-running shows of all time. But now that we got David James Elliott's job out of the way, what really matters is children. "I have a five-month old and a 10 year old...[and the] thought of all these innocent kids stricken with such an illness just hit me hard. I figured, why not give and get something positive out of it?"

That he did. Last year when he was asked to do the running portion of the Nautica Malibu Triathlon (I've been running for years and years and have done a few marathons...") he was in great running shape and had also been spinning at the gym. "'One leg of the race?," I said, 'I'll do all of it.'"

Elliott started training with celebrity coach Gary Kobat (trainer to Jim Carrey and Robin Williams) and got in where he needed to - the pool. "I used to swim as a kid, so I thought, 'Hey, I can swim!,' but I couldn't. It was pathetic." In a few months he was swimming, biking and running regularly and was ready for the challenge. "It's such a great cause," he said, "It's a great way to start in triathlon. The [Paul Michael] Glaser story is so moving, you just have to do the race."

He started training when he could, often in the early morning or late at night after his long 14-16 hour days on set and time with his family. "you find the time," he insists, "You end up stealing from your sleep. I train with my buddy on weekends, so I don't want o be dragging my ass on weekends."

The faux Navy lawyer is no small tike, either. He competes in the Clydesdale division (he's 6'4", 210 lbs.) and getting stronger in the triathlon by the day. When asked about the sport in general, he resounds "My new heros are Tim and Tony DeBoom."

But it's all about the community he's involved in now that he's a celebrity-triathlete. He competed in 2002's San Diego Challenge for the Challenged Athletes Foundation and hopes to return this year before taking a turn at Hawaii in 2004. But then again, that's his style.