BRIDGEPORT,CT--Paul Olney of Bridgeport, CT was emotionally spent last night after he finally completed the fabled Iron Man Triathlon video game. Iron Man 2K4 by EA Sports is one of the most difficult and grueling video games ever made, and few are able to make it to the end. Olney shed tears of joy as he slumped exhausted on the couch.

“Oh my God, this is such a great day,” said a winded Olney. “It’s been such a long road, there were times when I didn’t think I would make it. The running, the biking, the swimming, and that bonus round where you get chased by the alligators. Man, what a ride.”

Olney, 31, started playing the game at 10 am at his friend Ted’s apartment. The two decided to call in sick to enjoy the new game. Olney was determined to finish the grueling Iron Man triathlon by the end of the day. Ted didn’t believe it was possible.

“I just laughed at him. That’s the Iron Man competition. It’s not for the faint of heart. But he was confident and so determined. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a person so determined in my life. He would not be denied.”

By the end of the day, Olney’s thumbs were swollen and sore. His eyes were bloodshot and he had a pounding headache - all the result of a grueling marathon that would test the will of any video gamer.

“I just set aside my fears and went for it,” says Olney. “Sometimes in life you just have to believe in yourself and know you can get the job done. I just thank God for the strength he gave me to stick with this video game until I figured out how to get to the end. A lot of people would’ve gotten discouraged the first time they drowned, but not me. I kept hitting 'quit' and then starting over. That can take its toll.”

One of the most difficult things about Iron Man 2K4 is that the further along you progress, the more challenging it becomes. They level of difficulty at the end is so high that only the strongest and most determined players can overcome it.

“It really is an incredibly amount of adversity to overcome,” says Ted, 24. “When you get to the end, you really gotta have a lot of heart. I’ve heard a lot of things about how difficult the swimming part is, but he made it look easy. Didn’t even break a sweat.”

Although he made it look easy, it was anything but. Olney recalls moments when he truly thought he was finished and was running on nothing but guts and heart.

“Towards the end when you're running and the commandos are shooting at you, it really gets hairy. You go through all this stuff, then get to the end, then they start shooting at you! I swear, it was enough to make me wanna quit. But something kept me going. I’m not sure what it is, but I have plenty of it.”

Immediately after finishing the game, Olney called family members to tell them the good news. The first person to hear was his mother, Edith.

“Oh, he was all excited about it. I’m just tickled for him,” said Edith, from her home in Miami. “He works so hard at those games. I haven’t heard him this excited since he finished Jak and Daxter. He was crying about that, too. But this is more exciting. The Iron Man competition? I never thought my son would finish the Iron Man competition.”

Olney’s sister Marie wasn’t so enthusiastic for her little brother.
“I’m happy for him I guess,” said Marie, 41. “But gimme a break. How can a grown man get that excited about a video game? Ever since Beth left him he’s been a little weird. I’m worried about him. I hope he doesn’t go on a shooting spree.”

As a result of Olney’s fantastic accomplishment, he had to call in sick to his job at Equinox Communications, where works as a data processor. The mental and physical exhaustion was so severe he couldn’t even get out of bed, let alone go to work.

“This is my third time calling in the past month,” said Olney. “I already have a written warning against me so I might be fired this time. But you know what? It was worth it. How many people in this life get to say they completed Iron Man 2K4? Not many. This is something I can tell my grandkids about, even though I’ll probably never have grandkids.”

Now that’s he’s completed the Iron Man Triathlon, Olney is already thinking about the new challenges ahead.

“Now that I’ve been to the top of the mountain, it’s hard to imagine a more challenging adventure. Perhaps I’ll try the Tour De France. I’ve always admired that Lance Armstrong guy. I think there’s a little bit of him in me. Plus I heard EA Sports’ Tour De France Xtreme is incredibly difficult, especially when you have to ride through that cave with the long, sharp metal spikes hanging from the ceiling. If you even graze one of those, you’re back to square one. Better call in sick that day.”