Gruelling international triathlon to make stop on P.E.I.

The Epic5 Challenge is coming to Canada for the first time next summer, and P.E.I. is one of the five provinces set to host a leg of the competition.

Usually about 10 athletes from around the world take part, trying to complete five iron-distance triathlons in five days.

Competitors will swim, bike, and run 1,131 km through P.E.I., Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and B.C., covering 226.7 km in each province.

It costs almost $13,000 to participate in the event, and that doesn't include crew members who can expect to pay over $3,000.

Aloha Hawaii, aloha Canada

For the last seven years, the competition has been held in Hawaii. In those seven years, only 25 athletes have actually completed the challenge. 

Chris Brennan, CEO of Epic5, is one of those 25 athletes.

There was only ... two times during the entire event where I questioned whether or not I would be able to finish all five days, and both of those times occurred on the fifth day.- Chris Brennan

He said the the first four days of the competition were much easier than he had anticipated.

"I felt myself actually getting stronger, able to really kind of build on the momentum, the success of the last day," he said. 

"The understanding that there was one less day, one less island in the case of 2014 for Hawaii, that had to be conquered."

'Crashing down'

On the last day of the event, Brennan said it became a lot more difficult.

"It really came all crashing down on me," he said.

"There was only ... two times during the entire event where I questioned whether or not I would be able to finish all five days, and both of those times occurred on the fifth day."

Brennan said he was slowing down and it was taking longer than he expected to finish each aspect fo the race.

'Completely exhausted'

When he got on his bicycle to complete the final portion, the sun had gone down and he was unsure if he could continue.

"Certainly at that point when I would take a rest and I would be completely exhausted and somewhat disoriented as far as all the darkness around me, that was another time when I questioned whether or not it was something that I wanted to do," he said.

"Even that far into the event, you'd think it was a no-brainer. You would think, 'of course you survived this long.'"

The Epic5 Challenge runs from Aug. 6-10 and kicks off on P.E.I.

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