Eric McElvenny was 132 miles into the 140.6 miles of the Ironman World Championships in beautiful Kona, Hawaii.
Every bone, muscle and piece of skin on his body hurt.
He couldn't take one more step.
"I am in physical pain," McElvenny said as he described that moment to the room full of veterans Wednesday at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh on the North Shore. "Every major muscle group is cramping up. My hips hurt. My feet hurt. My left foot hurt. My right foot didn't feel like anything because I don't have my right leg below the knee. I had run out of energy. I took off my prosthetic."
An Ironman consists of swimming 2.4 miles nonstop in open water, cycling 112 miles on varying terrains and finishing with a full 26.2-mile marathon.
After a short rest, he tried to put the leg back on, but the stump on his leg was swollen.
"Have you thought about a time in your life that you wanted to quit something so bad?" he said at the annual gathering of the Veterans Breakfast Club celebration breakfast, where he was the keynote speaker. "I had people tracking my progress from all over the country. It was overwhelming. It was hard to see anything positive at that moment because I was in the midst of a challenge."
McElvenny, a retired U.S. Marine Corps Captain, told the close to 500 guests that everybody faces challenges, whether it is in service, at home or in relationships. Also in attendance was former Pittsburgh Steeler Rocky Bleier, who shared his story as a Vietnam Veteran. World War II veterans in attendance also spoke.
Veterans Breakfast Club started with one breakfast and 30 World War II veterans in 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Suites Pittsburgh South in Bethel Park.
The idea to bring veterans together for breakfast was that of Todd DePastino, executive director of the Veterans Breakfast Club, which creates communities of listening around veterans and their stories.
The Mt. Lebanon resident began hosting various breakfasts in Pittsburgh neighborhoods -- 35 breakfasts a year.
In addition to the breakfasts, the club holds weekly programs online and in person where veterans of all eras, ages and branches of service can share their stories. The events create close-knit communities of listening, and by recording them, they ensure that living history will never be forgotten, said DePastino, an author and historian.
"Veterans stories are so much an essential part of history," said DePastino, who is not a veteran. "This event is so special because it is like a family reunion. Veterans have so much in common and they understand each other. When I see all of these veterans at the breakfast club I see community and the very best of the human spirit. They are passing on their wisdom. When Eric shares his experiences, he makes them applicable to everyone in life going through challenges."
McElvenny's biggest challenge came on Dec. 9, 2011, at 4:30 a.m. on his final deployment in Afghanistan. He and his comrades were embedded into an Afghan Army Infantry Company. They were patrolling on foot. McElvenny, of Bethel Park, was heading back to base when he stepped on an IED, an improvised explosive device that triggered an explosion underneath his right foot.
"I remember that vividly," he said. "I was conscious but didn't know what exactly had happened. A violent force picked my body up and threw me to the ground. Instantly, my ears are ringing. And then life was just in slow motion. I could taste dust particles."
He recalled lying on his back and the first thing he said he thought was he was going to heaven and that wasn't necessarily scary.
"I am a Christian and I think heaven is an amazing place but all of a sudden I picture my wife and my daughter's face, and I got scared," he said. "I got so scared."
Michael Shrum, a Navy Corpsman, tended to McElvenny and got him and another injured soldier on a helicopter.
"There were still things on this earth that I wanted to do I thought to myself," McElvenny said. "I wanted to raise my daughter and grow old with my wife. Now that was in jeopardy. Mike (Shrum) saved my life. I was in such bad pain."
So when it came to finishing the Ironman race he refused to quit. He held his right leg in the air until the swelling went down enough to be able to attach his prosthetic leg.
He completed the final 8.6 miles and then he collapsed.
"It's about getting back up and continuing to push forward," McElvenny said. "That's how we pull others up with us. That's the character I learned from my parents and from the military. It's about resilience. It's grit. When things get hard, am I quick to walk away?"
No, and he didn't walk. He ran to the finish line.
After losing his leg and returning home, the 2006 Naval Academy graduate turned to competitive sports. He completed his first triathlon 22 months after his amputation. He has been racing since 2013 and represented Team USA in triathlon in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. He has finished eight full Ironman races. This summer, he represented the U.S. in the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, where he traveled with his wife Rachel, who he met at the Naval Academy, and their three children, Lupe, Elise, and William.
He said he is thankful every day that he gets to see his children grow up. He recalled that when his wife told Lupe about her dad being injured that December and that he would be coming home, the then 5-year-old said, "Well, that means Dad will be home for Christmas."
Lupe was who McElvenny was thinking of as he was riding on the helicopter to get to medical treatment with another soldier, who was also wounded by an IED that day.
"(The other wounded soldier) looks over at me and he says, 'Sir, you first,' as in, let them take you off the helicopter first," McElvenny said. "'You know, I can hang on a little longer.' I'll never forget that. That's the type of person that serves in our military. That is character. He just lost his left leg. He's in extreme pain, too. His life has changed as well. Instead of him thinking about himself, he's able to look around and say, 'What can I do for someone else right now?'"
Louis Sanchez, an Army Veteran who grew up in East Liberty and lives in Penn Hills, said after McElvenny's speech that he overcame a disaster and "was strong enough to get through it." McElvenny said it was an honor to share his story and listen to the stories of the other veterans.
"Thank you for serving that purpose that is larger than yourself," McElvenny told the veterans. "Thank you for your character and the foundation you built to provide freedom for our nation. Thank you for being the example that I wanted to emulate. Thanks for serving alongside me. If you picked up the torch after me, thank you. And if you're currently serving, I appreciate you."
The crowd of veterans gave McElvenny a standing ovation.