Good Sports: Valley marathoner conquers Epic 5

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Many consider Hawaii a place of relaxation.

But for one Central Valley man, it became the site of a race he'd never forget.

At 40 years old, David Adams isn't letting his age hold him back.

"You only live life once and you gotta go out there and challenge yourself to do different things," he says.

With 2 Ironman triathlons, 2 marathons and 29 half-marathons under his belt, he wanted something harder.

That's when he stumbled upon Epic 5.

The Epic 5 is 5 Ironmans in 5 days across all 5 Hawaiian islands.

Adams was one of just five competitors selected from all over the world.

He was worried he would be unable to finish what he started.

"I literally just stopped. I told my guys I need a break. I need to stop. Everyone thought I was finished," he says.

But he didn't want to let anyone down - especially himself.

5 days later, with just 5 hours of sleep, Adams would cross the finish line.

More than the physical nature of the race, Adams says it came down to conquering his mind.

As he adds Epic 5 to his resume, Adams is focused on helping young athletes.

When he's not working at St. Agnes Medical as an EMT, Adams volunteers as a coach at Gettysburg Elementary.

As difficult as the Epic 5 sounds to most, having conquered this feat, he's already looking for the next challenge.

"Ultimately it's not the material things you leave behind, it's the legacy that you leave behind," he says.