Survival Instincts

Don Mann is best known for his exhaustive pursuit of the extreme. His legendary Adventure Racing Series ‘Primal Quest’ is considered the most extreme human endurance event in the world. As a highly decorated combat veteran his skills and experience as a US Navy Seal give him a unique

perspective on survival. A keen athlete, there isn’t much he hasn’t tried and the list of challenges attest to his versatile approach to fitness.

It is easy then to see why Don Mann is a leading authority on combat instruction and adventure racing. The mental strength to focus on the tasks essential to a successful outcome no-matter the situation, are also the basis of his much requested inspirational speeches. Commanding more of

yourself and developing a multi-disciplined skill set are crucial to survival not only in combat but in life as well. To discover what you are really made of, take the challenge and develop your instincts for survival!

Of all the athletic challenges you have entered over the years what has been the toughest?I would like to start by saying that for me, the real heros are the ultra athletes from Australian and New Zealand they have done so many more things than I ever did. However, of the races I have been in among my favorites would be one of the early Iron-man events in Hawaii and also the 10 day race I did in the Himalayas, I just love the mountains.

How would you prepare for a major race?I will construct my training schedule based on a macro goal like a 10 day adventure race allowing myself 12-15 months to prepare which I then breakdown into micro goals or progressive steps along the way that help me reach that target. These micro goals might include 100 mile bike races, ultra marathons or 2/3 day paddles all with the objective of improving my performance in a given discipline. Prioritizing sequentially to ensure my training reflects the upcoming event, so if the next event was a big bike race I would spend weeks just really concentrating on the bike riding. Meanwhile I would still run, climb and paddle on the side but then after that I would pick my next micro goal until all of the disciplines required for the macro goal were covered. This ensures I am physically and mentally prepared to take on the challenges I set myself. But in order for it all to come together on the day it is important to gage your training so that you are not under prepared or over trained instead you should feel raring to go!

Can Seal Training prepare an athlete for any challenge?I believe so, as seal training is a type of multi-sport training in that a mission may last 5-10 days and require various disciplines to accomplish. By example you may have to parachute into some country then inflate a rubber boat to paddle closer to shore before swimming the remainder distance. Once there you might be patrolling which is kind of like trekking or hiking for number days with all your food and equipment on your back. So with the exception of bike riding there are a lot of the same skills used in adventure racing. Including the small team dynamics that come into play, the orienteering, being able to take care of yourself in the field and having mission focus as the goal. Whilst there are certain obvious differences, we don’t really do much talking and carrying weapons, the objectives are the same we aim to complete the mission effectively and efficiently. It is the insertions and the extractions that are the real physical part of the mission, the actual raids or hostage rescues are not nearly as demanding as getting into a target and out again.

What should be the primary focus when faced with a challenge?I learned from experience that looking beyond a situation to focus on the outcome is a tangible way of grounding fear to survive physical and mental challenges. I recall being caught on a mission with my group and we were stuck in a hole for three days. On the first day the hole filled up with water at high tide and we all had food poisoning having eaten snakes and frogs the day before. Stranded in shark infested waters with the enemy above threatening to kill us, somehow I knew that we would all be ok. Perhaps we were naive but no-body displayed any signs of fear, instead of processing thoughts that we would be killed we focused on what needed to be done to get out of there.

What is the most effect way to train for mental strength?In seal training they insist that you think that everything is possible. Don’t ever say you can’t do something, say no-matter the obstacle in my way I have the ability to overcome it! Positively framing your outlook on every challenge improves your chances of succeeding and with seal training they reinforce that mental attitude by drilling it into you every step of the way. Especially when you are exhausted during one of their drills and your will is being tested, to hear someone demand that you must continue and that you can, builds a confidence that applies to any situation. You might not be the strongest person in the world but your mind at that point is so incredibly powerful that you just can’t imagine anything that could prevent you from doing what you want to do!

Photo: Tony Di Zinno

Survival InstinctsI can best quantify the significance of combining the physical with strength of mind by relating my own experience during seal training when we were instructed to swim under water for 50 metres after performing moves that took away some of our air. We were told that it was ok to pass out under water and not to surface because we didn’t need the air. Of course instincts took hold and for myself and several others we failed to do as they asked. Labeling us quitters and praising the men who made it was their way of exemplifying how powerful the mind can be. When they allowed us to try once more, everyone passed, no-one wanted to be considered a quitter. It really is about how you choose to think, having a ‘can do’ mindset takes away some of the fears that prevent you from performing at your best. There is a frog man statue in front of the seal training compound with a sign around his neck that says “The more tears and sweat put into training the less blood shed in wartime.” This resonated with me on many levels and it pertains to everything for me not only seal training but in other areas like business and sports as well. In other words, by putting the sweat and tears into your training the less you are going to suffer during the race. Similarly, if you commit to developing your skills and attitude in life by working hard at everything you do when it comes time to apply them you will have the confidence and experience to give it your all, making the experience more meaningful.

Is there any difference between how men and women respond to extreme challenges? If you asked me if any women could survive seal training when I first applied I would probably have said no but to tell you the truth some of the adventure races and extreme sports that women are involved in today are just as tough if not more so that what we must endure during seal training. When you see these female adventure athletes coming first on a team of three or four other men, who are often double their size you realize that what lies in your heart is what really counts. Sometimes you will see these women run a ten day race where they are awake for 22 hours doing physically demanding tasks and when they reach the end where the men may collapse they will be standing there saying how much fun they had. I think that women handle pain better than men and their ability to focus on the outcome over everything else gives them an edge when it come to extreme challenges.

A great example of this is Monique Merrill who just won the last Primal Quest in Montana, she was on the top team in the world ‘Team Nike’. Chosen for the second time to join fellow teammates Mike Closure and Mike Toubin, two men who have won more adventure races than anyone else in the world. Although they could choose anyone to be on their team, Monique displayed the qualities required to win a race of this nature. Despite becoming sick during the race she still finished first and showed no signs of slowing down. I joked with her about eating junk food which she loves to do, and suggested that perhaps if she ate clean their would be no stopping her!

What kind of people should you surround yourself with, if you want to be a part of a winning team?You try and find people who are roughly at the same fitness level as yourself and who share the same goals. It is no good if you pair up with someone who starts out with the same objectives but then changes their mind when they are faced with the physical or mental demands of a challenge. Being up front and honest with your team is the best way to establish a plan to navigate the potential obstacles and help each other out. So for instance if someone is an excellent climber but terrified of the rapids, you would use their strengths and weaknesses to your advantage by getting them to help others with the climbing and then giving them support when you reach the white water. Personality is also important some people can be moody whilst others find humor in every situation it helps to have a combination of people who can help balance out the team dynamics. These type of events really test your positive outlook and when you survive the challenge it gives you a new perspective on life. Things that seemed important aren’t anymore and you really appreciate the little things like a lazy afternoon by the lake, because you have something to compare it to. Whereas when you do very little that places you outside of your comfort zone, it becomes easy to forget how good you have it!

Having entered many different sporting events around the world what training technique have you found most useful to improving performance?There are two for me, one is the weight room and the other is running, sometimes when I am in a country where there is no weight room then it’s only running. I favor running because it works your entire body and you don’t need any equipment which for me as a regular traveller is most convenient. I seek out hills and mountains primarily because when you run hard it helps develop cardiovascular fitness and crosses over nicely with other disciplines like climbing and cycling. I use that same philosophy of pushing myself to do more in the gym and each set I will add some weight or do a few more reps.

What are the elements that make Seal Training the most grueling and honest test of a persons mental and physical fortitude?As a former Navy Seal I believe it to be the toughest but I also know that the Australians, French and German military have extremely tough training programs also. But for the Seals there is a 9 month selection process that is designed to weed out the weak links and test every aspect of you mentally, physically and spiritually. There is a four mile timed run that you do in soft sand and boots and every week you have to improve on your time. Also there is a two mile swim which you must finish in a faster time than the week before and a timed obstacle course. This will continue for the 6 months that you are going through B.U.D.S ( Basic Underwater Demolitions School) which requires that you achieve an upward curve in your fitness without compromise. If you do show signs of regressing during training they will pounce on you until such time as you decide to quit or resolve to overcome your weaknesses.

The best lessons I ever learned in my life came from seal training and I believe in them so much. The training we run now which is open to civilians is built on a foundation of those lessons and is the closest thing you will find to the real thing.

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What are the foundation exercises for seal training, would you describe a typical day at one of your training camps? One of the typical days would start with a brutal punishment in the gym for a couple hours and then perhaps we would run up a nearby mountain for another couple of hours before hitting the water for some pool harassment drills. People will be falling asleep so we will take them down to the beach and have them perform sprints or jumping in and out of the ocean. With the training programs we run in the states people also get to go sky diving and we teach them how to navigate using a compass. The emphasis is on slowly turning up the heat until a couple of people start to break at which point we might tell them they can take a 20 minute nap then wake them 2 minutes later to continue training.

Finally, do you have a philosophy that guides your actions and attitude in life?I believe there exists this demarcation line that goes up and down depending on your age and your activity levels. If you cross that line this is when you experience pain and your body begins to breakdown. When I was training 7-10 hours everyday really pushing myself to the limits, I had to be hospitalized as I eventually crossed that line to where it became detrimental to my health. Whilst the point isn’t to push so hard that you put your health at risk, I believe you should push just hard enough to touch it. To often we don’t try as hard as we could out of fear that we might go to far but then we never really discover what our true potential is and this is how I choose to live my life, forever striving to ride that line!

Survival Instincts Take on the Elements and test your instincts to

surviveStress is a major factor in determining the outcome of a situation how do you manage this to stay calm under extreme conditions?One strength I do have, is when things get stressful I become calm. I slow things down in my mind and return to the basics. Like when I was underwater on a mission and couldn’t breathe, I systematically went over the basics, checking to see if the hoses weren’t kinked and the inhalation valve was open, that sort of thing.

You become more aware of things and able to think clearly when there is only a few basic things to consider. If you do the basics real well and concentrate solely on those when things get frantic then you stand a much better chance of surviving a life and death situation or any other challenge for that matter.

Don Mann is known for producing and directing more multi-day, adventure races, multi-day triathlons and other extreme sporting events than any other person in the world.

His epic scale adventure race Primal Quest is in a league of its own referred to as the toughest human endurance race in the world. In addition Don is responsible for creating the extremely popular and highly

acclaimed Seal Training Adventures, which offer civilians a taste of the real deal. To learn more visit: www.ecoprimalquest.com

Originally Created as a recruitment tool for the Navy, the Seal Adventure Challenge (SAC) provides an opportunity for motivated participants to take part in a 24-hour civilian version of Navy SEAL “Hell-Week” training, known as the toughest and most grueling in the military. Competitors participate in pool confidence drills, soft-sand runs, log PT, SEAL Physical Readiness Tests (PRT), small boat drills, mission planning and execution, and other elements of SEAL training. The overnight mission includes training in strategy, stealth and field communications. The events are led by of a group of highly trained Navy SEAL instructors and other Special Forces personnel. Details available from www.sealtraining.com

For more than 25 years, Don has inspired and motivated people of all walks of life including business professionals, government and military personnel, Navy SEALs, and athletes - from beginner level to world-

class. His inspirational talks include a fascinating journey through the times and struggles he has been challenged with as a SEAL and an ultra-distance athlete.

Don’s philosophy is that everyone needs to develop a combat mindset to reach their full potential as an employee, employer, parent, member of the military, government personnel or athlete.

For more information on having Don Mann speak to your organization, contact him at

DDM@USFrogMann.com or call 757-645-3396.