David Plunkett is competing in his FIFTH Ironman competition on November 2nd, 2024 in Panama City Beach, Florida!

2024 – Ironman Florida – Panama City Beach

Date: November 2^nd
Goal: $50,000

Previous events:

2018 – Ironman Arizona
2019 – Ironman Texas: Raised $22,000
2020 – Ironman Florida: Raised $30,000
2021 – Ironman Indiana: Raised $34,000
Total - $86,000

Why triathlons? Why One Tribe Foundation?

Dave currently lives in Celina, TX with wife Blaire (married 27-years), where they have raised 3 young men, Riley (23), Brad (19), and Wesley (16). Dave has always tried to be great husband and role model for his boys – stressing the importance of pushing to be the best version of yourself, always be humble, and look for ways to help others.

Dave grew up playing traditional sports (football, basketball, baseball) – but loved the water (skiing, wakeboarding, scuba diving). When he hit 40, he probably went through some self-proclaimed "mid-life crisis," started running and did the half marathon in Dallas in 2010. After half marathon, a friend suggested a short triathlon (sprint distance) – so Dave signed up and did the St. Patty’s Day Triathlon in Keller, TX. He enjoyed the race and the workouts – so he kept doing them.

Dave completed his first Ironman 70.3 (half) in Austin in 2012 and took a little break. In 2016, he started to get really out of shape (heaviest ever)…so he went back to training and doing short races. After losing ~40lbs and feeling great, he decided to hire a coach and train for an Ironman. He completed the Ironman Arizona in 2018 and never felt better – but that’s when he realized other athletes were using Ironman as a platform to raise money or awareness for their favorite charities. He knew right away that he wanted to support Veterans or active military – but didn’t know where to start. T-Mobile has several different DE&I programs for employees – so he connected with the folks from VAN (Veterans & Allies Network) to get their feedback. One employee at that time gave him several national and local organizations to research – and that’s when he found 22KILL. He met with the TR1BE in early 2019 to explain what he wanted to do – and that’s when we started the partnership. First race after partnering with 22KILL was Ironman Texas in March 2019.

To date, with the help of so many, Dave has raised $86,000 for One Tribe Foundation. His goal this year is $50,000. Join us in supporting Dave as he prepares for Ironman Florida and uses his platform to fundraise for OTF!

Why Veterans? Military service runs deep in David's family.

From Dave:

Grandfather – Officer in Army – WWII (purple heart)
Dad – Officer in Navy – WWII
Brother – Navy
Brother-in-Law – Officer in Navy
Transferred to San Diego State University – planning to go AOCS after college
Unfortunately, I lost most of my hearing in my left ear while teaching a SCUBA diving class in San Diego (working my way through college)
Wasn’t really interested in positions in military where hearing wasn’t an issue
Have always regretted not severing– trying to do whatever I can now through One Tribe Foundation in hopes of helping however I can.

DONATE TODAY! For every $30 you donate, you'll receive the official 22 Reasons t-shirt!

Email your name with shipping address, t-shirt size(s) to ashley@1tribefoundation.org.

Be sure to list your sizes and mailing address.

LET'S GO, DAVE! We are excited to support you in your FIFTH Ironman!

One Tribe Foundation (formerly 22KILL) began as a grass-roots movement to raise awareness of the Veteran suicide rate. We believe that creating a community of continued service and support is essential to restoring the value of life.

"One Tribe, One Fight"

We started as 22KILL in 2013 as an awareness campaign. We simply wanted to bring attention to the suicide epidemic among our nation’s veterans.
Our “22 Push Up Challenge” helped bring attention to the epidemic of 22 deaths by suicide per day among our military and Veterans.
Since the inception of 22KILL, our tagline has been “One Tribe – One Fight”. Since 2013, we have grown and expanded our programs to reduce the suicide rate among Veterans and first responders. We continue working to reduce suicides among our military heroes, but we have been called to serve everyone on our front line—expanding our program to empower Veterans, first responders, front-line healthcare workers, and their families. During the world health crisis a few years ago, the time was never better for evolving our brand.
That is why we rebranded 22KILL to “One Tribe Foundation”.
We are all in this together—One Tribe—working to support each other, raise awareness, encourage mental wellness and healthy living, and combat suicide within our communities.

David Plunkett IRONMAN

By One Tribe Foundation

David Plunkett IRONMAN

Support David Plunkett as he competes in his FIFTH Ironman competition!