Just out of high school and inspired by a friend, Steve Richard figured he would try competing in a sprint-distance decathlon at North Park.

Never mind that his swimming had been limited to relaxing in a pool and his biking experience was primarily from his childhood days.

"I ran cross country in high school, and I thought anyone could ride a bike -- what's so hard about that?" he said, laughing. "As far as swimming, I don't think I had ever even swam a lap before."

But with a little practice, he finished in the top half of his age group in the 2006 event, which required racers to complete a 700-meter swim, 3.1-mile run and a 12-mile bike ride.

"I was definitely surprised that I did that well," said the Franklin Park native, who is a student at the University of Colorado at Boulder. "It was just really fun. I guess I sort of caught the bug."

Just three years later, Mr. Richard qualified for the Perth International Triathlon Union Long Distance Triathlon World Championships in Australia.

He finished 11th among the 737 amateurs in the contest, third in his age division (20-24) and 35th overall out of 767 challengers.

"It was awesome. It was a dream of mine to go to Australia just to see the country," he said, adding his parents were there to cheer him on. "And to be able to go with my family and compete at that level, it was great."

The event was held last month, just days after his 22nd birthday. It is considered a half-Ironman triathlon, with contestants swimming three kilometers, or roughly 1.86 miles; riding a bike 80 kilometers, about 49.7 miles; and then running 20 kilometers, about 12.4 miles. Mr. Richard completed the race in four hours, 16 minutes and 26 seconds.

While he trains year-round and competes in triathlons of varying lengths, the Perth race pushed him to spend extra hours training each day. Weekends called for riding more than 150 miles on his bike, running more than 10 miles and spending hours in the pool perfecting his stroke. Such a schedule meant a 6 a.m. wakeup so he could work out before his classes. Then, he would train for a few more hours.

He also consumed as many as 10,000 calories a day, in small meals packed with vitamins, protein and carbohydrates. His dedication to the sport means that he is not living the stereotypical life of the college student who subsists on fast food and pizza, stays up late drinking beer and sleeps as late as possible.

"It's more of a lifestyle than a sport," he said. "If you really want to be good, you have to be in great physical condition. ... I don't eat junk food, I don't eat sugary candy and I never eat fast food. Ever. Ever."

He credits his mother with encouraging his good eating habits, even though he admits as a kid he wished he could find sugary cereal in the cabinets and Ho-Ho's in his packed lunch. Instead, he got carrots and celery as snacks. His parents also have been supportive of his competing, helping to pay for equipment, such as a bike, wet suit and running shoes. While good shoes can be had for $100, a wet suit can run $600 and a bike more than $10,000.

"Without [my parents], I really wouldn't be able to do this, at least to the level I have," he said.

With their support, however, comes concerns and worry about the dangers of the sport.

During his training, Mr. Richard had two significant crashes while riding his bike. The first, which occurred last year, happened as he was descending a hill at about 25 mph. He hit a patch of gravel and flew off the bike, hitting his head so hard that his helmet cracked. He ended up with a concussion, some nasty road rash and anxiety about riding down steep hills.

In August, he was out riding when a storm hit, making it nearly impossible to see. Heading home, he hit a pothole and was launched over the handlebars. The crash left him with severely pulled muscles in his hip and forced him to relax his training.

Despite that, he said, he tries not to worry about injury. "I love it too much to stop just because I might get hurt. The risk is just part of it," he said.

With this year's race season over, Mr. Richard is setting his goals for next year. One is competing in his first full-length Ironman race, which he hopes will occur in June. An Ironman triathlon includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike race and a 26-plus-mile run, in that order without a break.

In the coming years, he hopes to move from being an amateur triathlete to being a professional so that he can train year-round and have his costs covered by sponsors and, he hopes, prize money from races. Amateurs are not permitted to accept prize money or lucrative sponsorships.

With the average triathlete peaking between the ages of 30 and 35, he said his best years could be ahead -- not that he expects the competitions to ever be easy.

"You are just pushing your body farther than you thought it could go," he said. "You're going to be in pain and you're going to be hurting a lot of the time. It's an internal battle but an amazing feeling."

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