By now Lars Hartling is used to all the incredulous questions, as well as the surprised and mostly impressed reactions.

He's put in literally years of training, overcome the roadblocks along the way, and now, he's defied the odds and shown everyone how far determination can take you.

Last month, the Whitehorse resident completed the Ford Ironman Arizona, in a time of 13 hours and 42 minutes. He swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles and ran 26.2 miles on a sunny, windy course in Tempe, finishing within the top half overall of the more than 2,000 competitors.

Did I mention he did all this at just 18 years of age?

'I was the only 18-year-old at that event, so I felt a little pride,' says Hartling, now back home recovering in Whitehorse. 'But there was also a guy who was 74 doing it, so honestly ... that's more impressive to me.'

Hartling has been training to run a full Ironman for about three years. One of his uncle's completed the Subaru Canada Ironman and when Hartling heard about it, he decided he wanted to give it a shot too.

But while he thought it was 'cool', he was hard pressed to find many people who agreed with him, at least at first. Because of his age, doctors as well as friends and family feared it would be too hard on his body.

'A lot of people think I shouldn't have been doing it, that I'm too young. I wanted to do it within a year initially,' he says. 'Legally, I had to wait, which was good because I needed the time to build up a base.'

Don White, a veteran Yukon runner and athletics coach, ended up training Hartling for the Ironman event. White says when he got the phone call from Hartling asking for assistance, he was certainly skeptical about whether it was a good idea.

'I said to him, I should have told you right off the bat you shouldn't do this'. He was physically strong enough, but with the amount of training you have to do ... he could have caused physical damage that would have lasted a lifetime.

'But I asked him, What would you have done if I said I couldn't coach you?' And like a typical teenager, he said he would have done it anyway.

'I thought at least I could help him survive if he did get through it all.'

So with White as his coach, Hartling spent the next couple of years training hard and competing in marathons and triathlons for preparation. He worked with the Whitehorse Glacier Bears on his swimming and rode with the VeloNorth Cycling Club when he could.

He completed the Kluane Chilkat Bike Relay solo, ran the Victoria Marathon, the Yukon river trail marathon and the City of Whitehorse triathlon.

Last May he completed the Hawaii Half Ironman and last September the Ottawa Half Ironman.

'It was all setting myself up for the main goal and these were really invaluable lessons to learn about time, distance and strategy.'

So a few days before the Arizona Ironman, which took place April 15, Hartling and White travelled to Tempe in order to get acclimatized.

Thankfully, the temperature was what Hartling described as perfect at around 28 C on the day of the event. He awoke at 4:30 a.m. but felt well-rested, thanks to two good nights of sleep, and headed to the park for registration.

'There's 2,000 people all in one place, with 2,000 bikes. It was an intense process. It took 3,000 volunteers to pull it all off.'

Hartling was in the water by 7 a.m. and his journey was underway.

'The deep water start, it was just a big sea of people. It was reminiscent of fish jumping,' laughs White. 'We (White and Hartling's father) were actually able to recognize Lars when he came under the bridge.'

Hartling finished the 2.4-mile swim in one hour, 18 minutes and 45 seconds. His goal was to complete the first portion in 1:12 to 1:20, so he was right on target. From there, it was on to the longest portion of the event, the cycling.

'It was a good transition,' says Hartling. 'There were people called strippers who undo your wetsuit and take it off for you, so it makes things a lot easier.'

While the temperature was great for the bike race, there was 'a killer head wind' which posed some difficulty for the athlete. He estimated he lost about an hour of his expected time.

'It was a little demoralizing, but everyone had the same problem. I was ready for it. I took it in stride and pushed back my ETA (estimated time of arrival).'

White said he wasn't really sure what was going on as he waited for Hartling at the end of the bike portion. He knew he was running later than expected and that his original overall time goal of 12 hours was out of reach. But mentally, they had prepared for that possibility and he was just glad when he saw Hartling come through the transition area and prepare for the run.

Hartling finished the bike course in seven hours, seven minutes and 19 seconds, and felt he had put himself in position for a strong run down the stretch.

'I had a really good run,' says Hartling. 'I had done the right nutrition on the bike that when I got off the bike, I was ready to go. It was a really nice pace. Because it was three laps of the same course, I knew where the finish line was.

'I passed a lot of people my last three miles. I just felt it. It felt good. I had the right training before hand and it was just a perfect day.'

Running was definately the strong point for Hartling, who posted a time of five hours, four minutes ad 18 seconds.

He was 41st overall in the male 18-24 division in the running portion, out of 83 competitors.

While Hartling's goal of 12 to 13 hours for an overall time wasn't reached, he was really happy with his final time of 13:42:11. He points out the hour he lost on the bike section due to the headwind, saying he feels like he basically made his goal.

White said no matter what the time was, he's just proud of Hartling for making it across the finish line.

'This is a guy who set a goal when he was 15 or 16, then just started pursuing it. It was one of those things where he understood there would be roadblocks. He understood what he was doing was unusual and potentially physically dangerous to him. But you've gotta give him credit.

'He had the ability to do it, the strength not just physically, but mentally. Strength of character pulled him through.'

That's not to say Hartling came through unscathed. Despite the fact he built up a strong base, he still 'did a number' on his knee and back, which has forced him to really take it easy since returning home.

'My body is pooped for the next few weeks,' he states.

While he is planning a trip to a marathon training camp in Alberta, followed by a half-marathon at Sylvan Lake, Alta. in July, Hartling has no plans for any more Ironman competitions, or even marathons, in the near future.

'That's my last one, then I'm done. I'm taking a break from it. I'm basically retiring at an early age. I have other plans. I'm going to work and go to school next year, then do some travelling.

'This was just one of those things on my way through life that I wanted to do. And I did it. Now we'll just see where my life takes me.'