North Vancouver man becomes first to complete Ironman Triathlon on all 7 continents
If you’ve ever wondered what your physical limits are – and then surprised yourself by pushing past the doubt – you might have a kindred spirit in Connor Emeny.
Last month, the North Vancouver man completed an Ironman Triathlon in Antarctica and by doing so became the first person to complete one of those events on all seven continents.
“I hope that this can impact people and help them, whatever their dream is,” Emeny told CTV News on Monday. “The world’s a tough place and the world needs more dreamers now than ever before. Dreamers give people hope. I hope to go back to my high school and speak to the kids about this journey and just about taking a chance.”
In his final hurdle in his quest to complete the event on seven continents, Emeny spent more than 32 hours pushing himself through frigid conditions that included a 3.9-kilometre swim, 180 kilometres on his bike and 42 kilometres of running.
“I think there’s countless hard moments,” Emeny said. “The swim in the actual Antarctica portion, which is physical torture. Minus one degree water temperatures. My leg cramped up. There was a seal chasing me while I was swimming. These are just things you can’t train for or prepare for, you just have to endure during your challenge.”
Emeny needed to travel by sailboat for 23 days and had an excursion team of seven people – which included his mom, brother and best friend.
“At the core, it’s a story about just doing something that has never been done before, showing up, becoming the best version of yourself and believing that anything is possible. I think that’s the message that this has been all about. It’s been about my community.”
Emeny has been sharing his journey at ChasingAntarctica.com and is trying to find partners to help create and distribute a documentary about his epic journey, after bringing videographers with him to shoot footage of his journey.
At 27, he’s still young and hungry for new challenges. Beyond creating the documentary, Emeny plans to compete in the World’s Toughest Row. That’s a series of endurance races across the Pacific Ocean as part of a team of four rowers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Suspect sought after fatal slashing in downtown Toronto
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man was slashed in downtown Toronto on Sunday.
Mother's Day movies that pull at ALL the heartstrings
This Mother's Day Weekend, take a look at some of the most emotional movies inspired by moms.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.