Ever since he was wounded in Afghanistan, Eric McElvenny has been pushing himself and setting lofty goals.

The 2001 Belle Vernon Area graduate lost his right leg due to an improvised explosive device while serving in the United States Marine Corps.

He hasn't let that slow him down. Last weekend, he competed in the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, as part of a team headed by former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward.

McElvenny completed the massive endurance test — 2.4-mile swim, 11.2-mile bike race and 26.2 running race — in 11:54.29.

It wasn't the time he had hoped to achieve, but he walked away from the experience very pleased.

“It was great, amazing,” McElvenny said from his home in San Diego, Calif. “When I started in training for the Ironman in February, I originally wanted to complete it. Then I wanted to finish in 12:30. But as it got closer, I wanted to do 11:30.

“I didn't quite hit that goal, but I'm pleased. I did well.”

McElvenny actually posted a better time than Ward, who finished with a time of over 13 hours.

“I knew I would be ahead of him,” McElvenny said. “The Ironman is not like football. When we trained together, I was always ahead of him. But we didn't compete against each other. It was more like a team thing. We pushed each other and helped each other to try and do better.”

Having to use a prosthetic leg, McElvenny found training for and then competing in the event difficult.

“During training, I developed a staph infection and had to get a few new legs until I got the right one for me,” he said.

During the race, McElvenny swam with just one leg, used a different leg to bike and then a different leg to run.

“It was certainly different,” he said. “After each event, I just changed my leg and went on.”

In preparing for the Ironman, McElvenny competed in nine triathalons and three half-distance marathons.

“Nothing like what we did in Hawaii though,” he said, offering a smile.

Now that the Ironman is behind him, McElvenny is looking forward to future challenges.

“I will always challenge myself,” he said. “Ever since I was wounded, I decided that I would challenge myself.”

He said he plans to return to the Ironman Championship and is determined to finish in 10:30. He also will continue to compete in triathlon events.

But he has added one more goal to achieve — competing in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The Paralympic Games is a major international multi-sport event, involving athletes with a range of physical and intellectual disabilities, including mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness and cerebral palsy.

There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea, are held immediately following the respective Olympic Games.

“That's my next big goal,” he said. “I want to compete in the Paralympics.”

Judging by the what he has done since that fateful day in Afghanistan, betting against McElvenny competing in the Paralympics probably wouldn't be a smart move.

Jeff Oliver is a sports editor for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-684-2666 or joliver@tribweb.com.

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