Imagine standing on Wrightsville Beach at 9 a.m. in 40-degree temperatures with 15 mph winds cutting at your skin, your body shivering in the cold. Now imagine running and diving into the ocean in front of you, swimming 1.2 miles down the coast, getting out and biking 56 miles into Pender County and back to downtown Wilmington, followed by a 13.1 mile run to top off the day.

Seven hours later at around 4 p.m., you have completed the event and can finally rest.

This is what Chris Warner did Oct. 29, competing in the PPD Beach2Battleship Triathlon Half-Ironman. While many of us would consider this feat insane, the UNC Wilmington junior is passionate about competing in such competitions and plans to continue to do so for many years to come.

With no track or cross country experience in high school, Warner began competing in triathlon races two years ago after his dad, whom he now competes in most of his events with, got involved with the competitions as well.

“My dad had a mid-life crisis a couple years ago and started doing triathlons and asked if I wanted to try one,” he said. “The first one I did was here in Wilmington and since then I’ve been very involved in the sport.”

While Warner has competed in 17 triathlons during the past two years, the PPD Beach2Battleship was his first half-ironman. The difference between the two is that Ironman races are longer and require more endurance. Also, Ironman competitions are generally stricter on rules and time limits. Warner experienced the effects of the more demanding competition after the race.

“It was a lot of fun. I was way more tired at the end than what I thought I was going to be. When I got done, it didn’t seem like I had took seven hours,” he said. “But I was just really tired. I couldn’t tell anyone what I thought about while on the bike or running. It really just wanted to be done.”

During the half-ironman you could stop as much as you want, however there were cut-off times to help competitors push themselves harder. The time in which everyone was expected to finish the Beach2Battleship was nine and a half hours after they started.

One of the first concerns that people might wonder about during an event like an Ironman is how the participants stay hydrated. Warner was sure to note that they had multiple first-aid stations set up throughout the course with food and water, and he also brought snack items such as fruit bars and gummies along with him.

Weather also plays an important role during triathlons and Ironman competitions. Competitors stay on top of the conditions as much as necessary before they begin so that they can properly prepare for the different factors they’ll face.

“My dad and I were watching the weather up until the night before trying to figure out whether we were going to need to wear long-sleeves during the bike or put a rain jacket on. It was supposed to be mid-50s with rain, so we had it set up so that we had a rain jacket,” he said. “When we got out there, though, it was in the 40s with 15 mph winds and no rain, but it was still freezing cold. It’s important to prepare correctly, because you’re limited as to where you can put clothing or items during the race because you’re constantly moving.”

Having his dad compete with him has only helped Warner during the competitions. His dad prepared for the half-ironman for weeks beforehand and it showed during the competition.

“The coolest thing was that my dad ran the race, too. He started 20 minutes behind me so I didn’t see him after I started. Then, during the run, I had about four miles left and he had about seven and we crossed paths,” he said. “The fact that we were both still alive was kind of a miracle for both of us. We sat there and talked for a couple of minutes and said we were going to keep running.”

Not many people compete during the winter months as conditions are often too cold, and even a few participants dropped out of the Beach2Battleship because of hypothermia. Warner is taking this break between seasons to train and prepare for the full Ironman race and next year’s season that starts in late January.

“I’m planning on staying in shape during the winter months by doing a 30-week training program,” he said. “It includes swimming, biking and running workouts, with the distances increasing with each session. The other factor into it is a diet that I’ll have to keep up with.”

Although the Germantown, Md. native acknowledges his dream career would be to play in the NBA, he admits that he would be more than happy if he could make participating in triathlons and Ironman competitions a profession.

“I would love to make competing my profession. I would love to be sponsored by Nike or Oakley,” he said. “I would definitely have to put a lot more work in and start focusing on it more, but if I could get paid to run triathlons that would be awesome. To not have to work a 9-5 (job), that’d be great.”

Warner had some words of encouragement for people trying to get involved in long-distance races, but he also warned of its intense requirement and dedication.

“Do it. It will not be fun starting at all,” he said. “People are either really good at swimming, or like to bike, or ran cross country in high school, but once you do all three of them back-to-back-to-back you can stop in between if you want to but literally you get out of the water, throw socks and shoes on and bike ride, come back and put running shoes on and go; there really is no stopping. It’s a lot to deal with and your body will be really sore after, but that’s why you start with smaller ones and work your way up. Just do it; it’s a lot of fun.”

While the events are a great way to stay in shape and test a person’s will, among all other things, Warner enjoys the competition for the experience and human emotion.

“The atmosphere is always fun. There’s people that train every single day who do 50 to 100 races a year,” he added. “That’s what they do, and then there’s people like my dad and I who do it for fun and then you have people that have never run a triathlon before in their life and decide this would be a good one to start with. It’s always great to see people’s reactions and emotion once they finish.”

One of the goals on Warner’s bucket list is to compete in an Ironman on every continent. Experiencing the world while doing something you love—that’s something we all would want to do and, in Warner’s case, would make all the craziness worthwhile.