PANAMA CITY BEACH, FLORIDA — As Reilly Walsh approached the finish line and the coveted banner that was stretched across it, even he couldn’t believe it.
The former St. Peter’s basketball star couldn’t help but put his hands around his head, with his jaw dropping, as if to say, ‘is this really happening?’
Yes, it did happen.
Walsh placed first overall among a field of nearly 2,000 competitors at IRONMAN Florida early last month. The ex-Jaques Award winner is believed to be the first Staten Islander to win the grueling triathlon, which includes a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run.
“I was in shock, for sure,’’ said the 28-year-old Walsh, who played Division I basketball at the New Jersey Institute of Technology after graduating from St. Peter’s in 2015. ”You really have to be in good shape to pull something like that off.
“You need a lot of things to go right and a little bit of luck because the day is so long and something can go wrong, but fortunately it didn’t.’’
Walsh’s winning time was a sizzling 8:25.33. He finished the swim in 54:35, the bike in 4:18.46 and the run — which is actually a marathon — in 3:02.45.
In this image taken from a video, West Brighton resident Reilly Walsh holds his head in disbelief as he crosses the finish line at IRONMAN Florida in Panama City Beach, Fla.., on Nov. 1, 2025.(Courtesy of John Walsh)
“You prep for months and months — even years — but you get to perform on that one day,’’ said Walsh, who will now prepare for the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawaii on Oct. 10, 2026. “And you’ve got to perform to have a chance to win.’’
Walsh, who competed in the male 25-29-year-old age group, took part in his first full distance IRONMAN since competing at the 2022 World Championship in Kona in October of that year. Months prior to his first World Championship appearance, he broke his arm and suffered nerve damage in his leg following a bike crash at IRONMAN Utah. Basically, he needed time to recover.
He opted to go full throttle again at the beginning of the present year and he competed in the IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman in Geneva, N.Y. last summer. The 70.3 competition, in essence, is a half IRONMAN. Walsh said you can’t compare the two competitions.
When Walsh competed in Kona in 2022, he placed 82nd overall with a time of 10:00.57. At the time, he broke the Staten Island record previously held by Tim McCauley (10:33.07), according to Staten Island Elite Track & Field co-founder Denise Boccia.
Incredibly, he shaved 1:35.24 off his previous clocking when he competed in Panama City Beach.
How’d he do it?
“It’s a matter of endurance. Putting in a lot of time and working toward building a certain kind of fitness,’’ said Walsh, who is an analyst for RiskVal Financial Solutions. ”It’s not magic. It’s mundane training every day and everything just adds up.’’
Walsh’s parents, John and Christine, made the trip to Panama City Beach and marveled over their son’s continued success in IRONMAN.
“Christine and I are very proud of Reilly for not only what he has accomplished, but his perseverance through multiple challenges throughout this journey,’’ said John Walsh, who was the starting point guard for St. Peter’s 1982-83 CHSAA AA city championship team. He’s currently the Dean of Academics at the New Brighton school. ”(Reilly’s) physical abilities are matched only by his mental toughness. It has truly been a pleasure to be a witness to his success.’’
Walsh now plans to prepare for his next excursion to the Aloha State with an eye toward earning a professional card.
“I’m pretty happy and grateful (to finish so well in Florida). I’m surprised, for sure, because I know not a lot of people can say they finished first,’’ said Walsh. ”I want to keep challenging myself. I still have a lot of passion and fire and I’m going to build up for the World Championship for the next year.’’
Walsh said there are several ways to gain your professional card, including competing in a race with a professional field.
Stay tuned.